What do you think? A bad day? Or appalling habits of co-workers?

Many of us have to live with co-workers whose annoying habits can cause a lot of problems for us and others. They give you no choice other than to deal with it.

Here's a list of 10 most irritating personality types in office space and a primer on dealing with them:

The Interruptor…

Interruptions at the workplace can be most distracting. Some people have the habit of swinging by for a chat at the most inopportune moments. They don't care whether you're chasing a deadline, or if you're on the telephone.

Solution: Quell this habit in others by telling them the truth: "Hey, I have a deadline. Why don't we talk about it during lunch?"

The Magician…

This person is the queen of tardiness and the master work shirker! She does the disappearing act impeccably and callously. She takes the concept of "flex time" so seriously that others end up having to continually double up for her-she's especially adept at shirking when she knows there's work to be done.

Solution: Manage this she-Houdini by looking her in the eye, telling her exactly what happens when she's late (or AWOL), and invite suggestions. If this doesn't work, escalate the matter to your (and her) reporting manager.

The Procrastinator…

To this person, a deadline means nothing more than a series of binary digits on an Excel sheet. She will almost always slow everyone else down because of her "last minute" attitude.

Solution: Drop her constant reminders until she's ready to scream. If this doesn't work, turn in your work on time (without her input) and clearly state (documented evidence in the form of an e-mail) that her input is awaited.

Learn how to effectively manage your time and stop procrastinating. Click here to know more.

 

The Nay-Sayer…

The "Nay Sayer" is the quintessential pessimist. V. Sriganesh Director and CEO, Catch Consulting International, a Chennai-based Executive Search company says, "The Nay-Sayer's remarks will typically run along these lines: 'This is bound to go wrong', 'Your proposal has zero chance of going through', 'This idea will not work out', 'You are wasting your time on this project', etc."

Solution: Sriganesh says, "The best way to deal with the Nay-Sayer is to stick your ground. Just say, 'I appreciate your viewpoint. But, I have a feeling this will work. Anyway, thanks for your concern'".

The Buck-Passer…

This person always offloads the blame on to someone else. Such people always have a ready excuse for a missed a deadline and someone to blame-a colleague, faulty systems, lack of resources, or even the rain.

Solution: You can curb buck-passing by first checking your own job description to ensure that her task isn't part of your assigned duties. If you're sure it's not, alert your boss.

Sriganesh observes, "In today's corporate environment, buck passers aren't too many. Managers can easily identify who is delivering and who is not. Buck passers could get away once or twice, but eventually they will get pulled up or even worse, fired!

Here are some reasons when you can get fired.

 At the first instance of buck passing, you should have a face-to-face with the buck passer and state your feelings on the issue. You need to clearly state that you do not appreciate being made the scapegoat. At the second instance, it is best to report the issue to the buck-passer's reporting manager."