, Singapore
1781 views

8 types of annoying colleagues in Singapore (Part 1)

By Adrian Tan

There is a saying that you choose your friends but not your family. So where do colleagues fit in? We spend more time with our colleagues than we do with our friends or family yet we can’t choose who they are.

No one likes being manipulated, backstabbed, demeaned, terrorised or made to feel insufficient, so what happens when you have to deal with the office jerk day in day out?

The truth is there is no escaping the people you spend 40 hours a week with. If you are seeing any these annoying colleagues, it may be time to look for somewhere better:

Angkat Bola

This is a Malay term meaning to curry favour or be sycophantic. A literal translation would mean to "carry balls". This person would always be revolving around the boss or manager, constantly hurling flatteries in order to impress and to get into one’s good books.

I-Want-To-Resign Queen

There’s always one, that one person who never finds anything to be happy about and always lamenting about resigning (but never leaves). The Universe conspires against them and if it’s not about the choice of new coffee that is making their day miserable, it is about no one understanding how much they contribute. They are constantly in crisis mode and every little issue becomes a huge problem.

The Journalist Gossiper

This person knows everything and wants to share it. These people create conflict and suspicion they discuss everything behind closed doors, to give the impression they are part of everything. Typically their stories and lively personality make them fun to be around - but beware have you noticed they also take too much interest in your life?

The Vacationer

You are constantly surprised why this person never becomes a scriptwriter instead with the constant flow of fresh and original reasons to be taking urgent leave. From losing his keys to his cat is stuck on a tree, his absence also means someone has to cover up. If you can relate to this, that person probably is you.

To be continued…

Join Singapore Business Review community
Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Top News

SBR 5 Lorem Ipsum News 2 [8 May]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
SBR 4 Lorem Ipsum [8 May Top Stories]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Vibrant Group wins suit against Blackgold Australia
The group shall be paid damages and fees by Blackgold Australia’s ex-CEO and ex-chairman.
Lorem Ipsum text in year 2025
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old.

Exclusives

Exclusive three SBR 12 Lorem Ipsum [8 May]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
SBR 3 Lorem Ipsum [ Exclusive 2]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
SBR 2 Lorem Ipsum [8 May]
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Event News

Video [Event News]
Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley