Ten signs that you might be a difficult employee

If you despise the company you work for, believe that your salary is a fraction of what you’re worth, or that you know better than your coworkers, boss and even the CEO, you might be considered a difficult employee.

While these traits describe many workers today, a little confidence and a bit of self-esteem when viewed in a competitive work environment can easily manifest itself into an over-abundance of self-worth. Coworkers and managers can recognize this and label someone difficult. If the work atmosphere is devoid of strong management, trouble is likely to ensue for the targeted ‘difficult’ employee.

“People do like to talk about difficult employees but I think that both concepts implicitly put 100 percent of the responsibility on the identified person. Rarely is this the case,” says Rick Brenner, a principal at Chaco Canyon Consulting, an organizational management company specializing in workplace conflicts. “Usually, both parties to a relationship contribute something to the problems. So I like to think about ‘difficult’ relationships.”

Unfortunately, an employee’s likeability factor rarely has anything to do with popularity, skill-set and intelligence. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of being in the right place, at right time, with the right people. Not all employees are created equal and because the work environment is a land mine of conflicting personalities, ask yourself if you could be the problem.

Here are some signs to recognize in order to avoid getting labeled a difficult employee.

10. Everyone in the office knows of all your personal problems
There is something to be said for sharing yourself but when you’re sharing the drama of your personal life to your colleagues, it’s a huge distraction for workers looking to meet a deadline. No one is interested in your latest love prospect or your quarrels with a family member. The office is where you work, not where you live so it’s best to keep your dirty laundry at home where it belongs.

9. You don’t accept feedback from anyone
Not only is this a sign of a difficult employee, it’s a sign of a difficult person. “Such people have little capacity to learn and to improve upon their weaknesses,” says Mark Birch, vice president of marketing at WingSpread, a technology solutions provider. It is also the one trait that is least tolerated in the workplace.

The inability to accept criticism and suggestions from others is also hardest on the boss managing the independent-minded solo staffer. In all likelihood, you will end up getting terminated if you don’t learn to take in what people are saying.

8. Getting additional assignments puts you in a bad mood
No one likes to be burdened with more work but your reaction plays a huge part in whether you’re a valued member of your organization or someone they deem a dispensable employee. Especially in a down economy where unemployment is at an all time high, managers often determine an employee’s worth by evaluating his/her work ethic. If you’re always open to additional responsibility, the company automatically sees the value of your employment.

If you refuse additional work, or grumble about it at every turn, you’ll be perceived as someone who is not a team player and doesn’t carry his/her weight and this will put you in a very bad light with your bosses and coworkers.

7. You complain to HR about your workload, coworkers and bosses
No one likes a complainer, especially one who complains about the job, coworkers and the bosses. Human Resources departments rarely intervene in office politics so if you have problems with your coworkers or bosses, it’s advised to deal with it one-on-one with the individuals involved in your issues.

It’s also very important to remember that there is always a chain of command in the workplace so going straight to HR, instead of your direct supervisor can also ruffle some feathers, which is not going to help you resolve conflicts any faster.

6. It’s always about you
If you’re always asking a coworker to take over on projects, fill-in for you on days when you take a personal day, it’s a clear sign that you’re unreliable. Again, an employee who only watches his/her own back and disregards others in the office is someone that is easily dispensable by the company.

The “Me” employee sometimes can also share similar characteristic of those referenced in point 10— someone who likes to share him/herself a bit too much with others in ways that’s annoying.

5. You don’t hold yourself accountable
“A symptom of this can be seen in people that pass the buck, or blame others for failures,” says Birch. Very few people are capable of owning up to their mistakes, but those who are capable of it are the ones who end up in leadership positions.

Those who blame others, or jump in to take credit for someone else’s accomplishments, usually end up on the bottom of the company hierarchy. These types of employees are also workplace backstabbers who watch from a distance ready to shame and blame others in attempt to create job sabotage.

4. You don’t believe in the company’s mission
You don’t have to like cosmetics or even wear it to work for Revlon cosmetics but if you’re constantly heard in the office making snarky comments about your company, its products and services, it can be damaging to office morale.

Being critical of your company also destroys the spirit of teamwork and it creates a barrier with your coworkers who are apt to distrust your judgment in projects. No matter what your company stands for, if you choose to separate yourself from your employers, your employers will want to separate from you as well.

3. You’re a know-it-all who upstages your boss and everyone else
There’s something to be said for contributing good ideas to the company but when you make it a daily mission to push your ideas on colleagues while denigrating the efforts of others, you are setting yourself up to be targeted for harsh criticism and gossip. Especially if you undermine the efforts of your managers, chances are you won’t last very long in your job.

“How the employee interacts with junior employees, same level employees, supervisors and upper level management creates an interesting situation,” says David Gabor, an employment attorney at Gabor and Gabor. “I think that the difficult employee is the one who steadfastly refuses to recognize the need to be able to work with all four groups in an effective, professional and responsible manner.”

2. You will do anything to get to the top
If success is on your radar so strongly that ethical boundaries often get blurred in your quest to climb the corporate ladder, it’s a clear indicator that you are a nightmare employee. People who disregard others by spreading office gossip, stealing ideas, or by pointing fingers is an employee who creates an atmosphere of tension in the workplace.

Distrust and hostility in the work environment is highly contagious so be prepared for an untimely exit from the company if you happen to be a worker who has on occasion sabotaged others with your bad behavior.

1. Colleagues are afraid of you
If you’ve wondered why you haven’t been getting invited out for social events with your colleagues, if people avoid making eye contact with you, or get uncomfortable working with you on a project, it may be because you’re a workplace bully. There are many mitigating factors why coworkers and even your bosses don’t want you on their team but if you recognize people moving away from you instead of towards you, there is a communication barrier around you that needs to be addressed.

No one likes a bully and if you’re one of those people who have been labeled, “aggressive” and “pushy,” you need to soften up and re-brand yourself to be more approachable.

© serghei starus | dreamstime

For more articles from Ji Hyun Lee, please check out:

The Politics Series:  The Politics of Facebook Friend Requests from Your Colleagues | The Politics of being a Woman on the Job: Why can't we all just get along? | The Politics of Being Young on the Job: Managing the Kid Boss

The Lists: Five Signs that Your Good Looks are Working Against You | Five Ways to Battle the Office Backstabber | Ten Signs that You Might be a Difficult Employee

The 101 Info Series: Bosses 101: What makes someone a bad boss? | Office romance 101: When is it a do and a don't?

Everything in between: Tips for managing the Millennial Generation | When You're Smarter than the Boss | Knowing When to Speak Up and When Not to | Equal Work, Unequal Pay: What to do if You're the Victim of Gender Discrimination

Do you need advice dealing with awful coworkers, bosses and other workplace issues?   Find the author on Twitter @JiHyun42 or email, jihyunnyc@gmail.com, and tell her all about it.  You could be featured in an upcoming article!