The characters of office life

Some have diverse and multitudinous ‘domestic' problems that create fire-fighting situations on a daily basis. Some only see their side of any given issue, some feel they are unfairly paid or overburdened with work, some are so busy watching where their neighbour is going that they forget to keep track of their own productive hours. They challenge your patience, they make you wonder why you are a part of the workforce at all, and they are the source of all conversation once you reach home.

You must have experienced the unofficial keeper of the clock. This one spends at least some part of his or her time watching when others come in and when others go out. Rarely does he correlate the two. So you are noted down as a slacker because you have left ‘early' while he is catching up with the allotted work that took a back seat while he was looking at what you were doing, or feeling unfairly dealt with because he was not in your shoes. There are so many ways to deal with this person. You could either ignore his comments or give a noncommittal smile or answer sarcastically or patiently, or send him packing with a brusque, "How does it affect you?"

Then there is the office martyr. No matter how light the load for the day, he or she has a complaint. The whine in the voice, the appeal for justice, the flight from pillar to post for a reduction in the workload and you know what's coming. The easiest way to handle this character is to tell him to quit stalling and start working and see how it goes by the end of the day; but often, willy nilly, you get dragged into his tale of woe and you allow him to let off steam or spend time trying to work out whether he really has a genuine gripe that should be taken care of.

Next is the man or woman of steel. No matter what, this one won't see reason. You can try any tactic you like — affectionate admonition, stern stance, gentle guidance. In fact, you've probably perfected various combinations of actions and adjectives to deal with this, but to no avail. And just when you're ready to throw up your hands, that man or woman of steel, who obviously is of steel because of a certain quality of work, gives you a little nudge of acknowledgement — without backing down, mind you. He will still maintain that he was right — you just needed to do this and that (all of which was his responsibility, not yours) — and all would have been clear!

There could also be a gospel thumper in your midst. The keeper of the collective conscience, who waxes eloquent about the right attitude, right approach, work ethics, honesty and fair play — and proceeds to play favourites and go back on his or her word at the very first challenge requiring truth and justice.

There are also those who are amenable, the eager beavers, the work horses, the uncomplaining — but they are not the stuff of which conversations are made. It is the others — the meddlesome, the recalcitrant, the officious, the overbearing — who command your attention. For all their irritative skills, they finally grow on you and make your day colourful, and when all is said and done, they add spice to the everydayness of office life.

Cheryl Rao is a journalist based in India.