It's easy to point out the screamers and the ragers as the bullies of the office. But some of the worst colleagues are calm, quiet, and incredibly selfish. Over at HR Capitalist, blogger Kris Dunn has pointed out this piece of workplace wisdom. Dunn calls them "information hoarders." You cross your fingers you won't need their help, because they're not interested in collaboration or support. They don't share. They make your job harder.
The problem with these sorts of colleagues, however, is that they're hard to confront and difficult to complain about. Adult tantrums and rages are easy to point out to a boss. Stealth selfishness is harder. Saying something like "Joe is so not a team player" may ring catty and, by the way, is lovely corporate-speak.
If it's just one colleague who operates like this, you can probably survive. If your office is populated with these kinds of people, and you're not one of them, I think you may need to find a new office.
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