To some people, the workplace is the venue for political intrigue or simple personal gain. Co-workers and even superiors exist solely to be manipulated. These extremely difficult people at work are usually power seekers who will stop at nothing. They may employ:

• Blackmail to get a personal deal through
• Gossip to spread a self-serving rumor
• Spurious claims of personal connections to the management

The ultimate objective of these wheeler-dealers is to gain a position of strength. This may then be employed for internal political advantage (promotions, raises etc) or for financial gain unrelated to office work.

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