These are the office equivalent of the school-yard supremo. Their tools of the trade are ridicule, overt and veiled threats as well as verbal and physical abuse. The object of these difficult people at work may be:

• To establish themselves at the top of the corporate pecking order.
• To use others to do the work meant for them.
• To compensate for a lousy personal relationship or a past of abuse.

Office bullies are always highly insecure people with personal problems. They use their victims to act out feelings of basic worthlessness, and are not too choosy about whom they pick on.

This article is part of the Difficult people at work series.