No matter how much technology or other aspects of the workplace might grow and change, you can count on certain constants: Personalities that can bog down performance and muddy your goals.

These four negative personality types can be found in most places where’s there’s more than a handful of employees. Here’s what you can do about it.

• The Steamroller: These abrasive personalities are the very picture of a bully in the china shop — it’s his or her way or the highway, and you can hear ‘em coming from a mile away. Tactic: Challenge these people to become part of the solution, instead of just complaining about the problems. Charge them with specific duties, set goals, ask for their input.
• The Sniper: They usually sit in the back and pick off ideas one by one with negative zingers. First, encourage these folks to sit up front — or turn the gathering around and stand in the back of the crowd instead of the front. Then, ask snipers to help improve the elements of the challenges that can be controlled, instead of dwelling on what’s “out of our hands.”
• The Complainer: There are always going to be complainers. But this employee is dangerously close to being a whiner. Best tactic: Tackle ‘em head-on. Issue a challenge: “What do you hope to gain by going against policies and procedures that are in place to help us do our jobs better?”
• The Whisperer: There’s always going to be gossip — just scan the check-out line at the supermarket. But gossip can undermine the workplace if left unchecked. Successful tactics include: Confront rumors immediately, either with individuals or with the group. Also, do your best to keep staffers up on topics they need to know about. This can keep speculation at a minimum.

Tags: bully, gossip, personalities, policies