A co-worker who doesn’t pull their weight can be frustrating. But there is some comfort in knowing that more than likely, your bosses will catch on.
A passive-aggressive co-worker uses specific tactics that make it hard for management to spot their lack of initiative. They appear to comply with asks but will then resist following through. Because they are indirect about their thoughts and feelings, their intentions are not clear.
Stefan Falk, a leadership consultant who studies workplace psychology, says passive-aggressive behavior “destroys value, as well as pollutes the work environment.”
Colleagues who exhibit passive-aggressive tendencies are especially insidious to organizations because they can masquerade as productive. In reality, they actually aren’t interested in completing projects.
They are more concerned with being liked and creating an environment that they find non-threatening. Oftentimes this results in them shutting down progressive ideas and centering their own needs, and not the needs of the organization.
Here are seven traits of a passive aggressive person, and how to deal with them, according to Falk.
1. They are self-serving
A passive-aggressive person is in constant pursuit of approval. When they are completing tasks, they are not thinking about the result or the organization as much as they are thinking about how they are being perceived.
“They can, over time, be viewed as highly competitive as well as result-oriented,” Falk says. “But a closer look reveals that the end-game of all this is to serve the own self-interest, not the common good.”
2. They want to have followers
Being a follower or a team player is not of interest to a passive-aggressive co-worker, especially if it doesn’t serve their own interest.
“Rather than showing followership, they want to get it from others,” Falk says. “The need to create a sub community is strong in ‘The Passive-Aggressive.'”
Passive-aggressiveness is a lazy and low-risk behavior.
3. They play…
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