11 colleague types who are also up to mischief in your office

Anyone who claims that office work is boring or even harmless has either never had the pleasure of working in a lively, populated office building or is going through the world with blinders on. The truth is that offices are veritable biotopes of insanity, which seem to be eerily similar in their composition everywhere. Want proof? You'll get it in the following article, because we guarantee that at least ten of the following eleven types of colleagues are closer to you in everyday life than you'd like.

1 - The scoundrel

Every office needs and has a bad boy, a creep, a real scoundrel whose soul seems to be as black as the coffee grounds in the fully automatic machine in the hallway. You have to be careful with this scoundrel, because he uses every possible opportunity to get his colleagues in trouble or to beat them up. He prefers to do the latter in public on the floor or at a conference. In addition to spreading nasty rumors, his specialties include targeted bashing in the superior's office, often with the help of information that the scoundrel has acquired through feigned interpersonal affection. No wonder the scoundrel is hated by everyone in the office - with the possible exception of the boss, whom he loves to butter up.

2 - The Barbie

Her coming is usually announced before she even comes into view, because the annoying clacking of her much too high heels can already be heard from the parking lot. The heels that give Barbie the feeling of floating above the things of everyday life are not just cosmetic, however, but fulfill tangible functions. For example, they serve as a popular excuse for not having to run errands for too long or are used by annoyed colleagues as an early warning system to get out of the way before Barbie bursts in with her affected good humor, even though she knows full well that she'll be late again.

3 - The victim

Every class has it, every seminar group has it, every soccer team has it, and yes, even in every office there is a klutz who has truly earned the title of victim. Whether it's a knocked-over coffee cup, a forgotten cafeteria card, or an IT disaster along the lines of "I deleted the Internet," the victim is down on his luck and thus also qualifies as a target for one or two funny pranks among colleagues. Apart from the impending danger to the laugh muscles, however, for all those sitting in the same room with the showpiece klutz, this one is completely harmless.

4 - The great unknown

Some offices seem to be haunted, because all kinds of inexplicable things happen for which no one wants to be responsible. Whether it's the skid mark left behind in the staff bathroom or the moldy plate in the kitchen that's been sitting there since last weekend, the great unknown is up to his mischief everywhere. The only problem is that the search for Mr. X turns into a search for a needle in a haystack, especially since this person is one of the "it wasn't me" sayers. Only overly violent attunement to the chorus of complainants leads to isolated moments of suspicion, even though the guilty party can't be found just as airtight as the lost city of Atlantis.

5 - The Siamese twins

Even if the Siamese twins don't necessarily look the same, you'd think that the two specimens had already shared the school desk, the sand shovel in kindergarten and even their mother's breast, that's how much they stick to each other. They sit next to each other in the office just as they do at every Christmas party, they drive home together, and they always go to the coffee machine together. The only surprising thing is that they don't also go to the toilet together. Okay, if the Siamese twins are female, the latter is also part of the repertoire. Apart from their twin quirks, however, the two are extremely low-maintenance. At least as long as you don't try to put a sheet of paper between them.

6 - The Casanova

Admired by many male colleagues, hated by most female colleagues is the Casanova, who loves to extend his fresh meat antennae and has nothing better to do than to make eyes at every new trainee. Not least through his mischievous look and the insinuating sayings, the Casanova gives everyone present the feeling that he only has eyes for secondary sexual characteristics, which is acknowledged everywhere with a harsh rejection of his "victims". You have to be careful with Casanova, because if you are naive enough to get involved in his scam, you will quickly experience a crash landing, because Casanova likes to be in cahoots with the scoundrel.

7 - The master thief

The master thief rivals even Bilbo Baggins from the movie series "The Hobbit" or the master among master thieves Gareth on the video game series "Thief". In contrast to the above characters, the master thief of the modern office world, who, by the way, is very closely related to the great unknown or appears with him in personal union, is much more villainous. Why? It's simple: he takes advantage of the ark of the covenant of the open-plan office - the refrigerator. Nothing is sacred to him, regardless of whether it's his colleague's meatballs that disappear in his belly or the mystery of the missing chocolate pudding that supposedly didn't have a note with his name on it. A clever master thief can only be caught with an elaborate trap - so bring on the laxative!

8 - The Eco-Eso Aunt

Hardly anyone in the office is actually as harmless, but on the other hand as penetratingly annoying as the eco-ego aunt. As soon as you enter her "realm", not only the "scents" of all kinds of disgusting teas hit you in the face, but also the shoots of her beloved yucca palm. In addition, there are the crystals placed exactly to the square centimeter, which are supposed to positively influence the Chi - that it doesn't work is already sufficiently proven by the optional omnipresence of the master thief, the great unknown and the scoundrel. The actually good-hearted eco-etc. aunt drives her colleagues completely mad with her globules, which she immediately wants to instill into every colleague with a headache, as well as with her nutritional advice along the lines of: "You have to replace this food with this really great weed from the deepest depths of the South American jungle".

9 - The sourpuss

Basically, the sourpuss doesn't hurt anyone, because he doesn't give a shit about pretty much anything that happens in the office. However, this "not giving a shit" mentality is taken to such an extreme that his destructive nature spreads through the office, first subtly, but then more and more obviously. Even the teas and sugar pearls of the eco-soul aunt don't help against the bad vibes of the grouch, who doesn't even seem to be cheered up by the end of the day, even if she tries her best every day anew.

10 - The long-suffering hypochondriac

In every office community, however well-functioning it may be, there seems to be someone who not only leads the sickness statistics by a wide margin every year, but on top of that is also skilled in the art of displaying each of his ailments in a particularly theatrical manner. Whether it's a twinge in the back, a twinge in the back of the knee, a runny nose or an itchy toe that is surely the harbinger of a serious illness - the long-suffering hypochondriac seems to issue a special announcement for every process of his body. But that's not all, because to emphasize his suffering, he places his collection of medications, from A for aspirin to I for ibuprofen to Z for zinc capsules, on his desk for publicity. However, the hypochondriac has one good thing going for him, because anyone looking for a competent doctor has the right contact here in any case.

11 - The universal genius

The last colleague type in our list is someone you always like to have around, because the universal genius cannot be a mortal by rational standards. He combines several talents and can not only provide information about the responsibilities in the HR department, organize appointments and work on his own, but also whisper with the IT system, so that behind closed doors he is also called a sorcerer. Even if the universal genius sometimes plays out his tendency to be smart, he is an irreplaceable part of every office biotope, especially since you are guaranteed to always be able to deal with your problems in his presence.
So, were we right? How many colleagues did you recognize? And can you think of other types of colleagues who you think can be found in every office and who might drive you up the wall?