A. ‘الفزلوك’ Mr. Know it All, Know Nothing at All.
This man or woman thinks they know everything that needs to be done and will constantly belittle you, push you around, try to make you look like a sucker in the company and they try to flex their muscles, especially on newcomers. However, if you just dig slightly into them you will find out that 90% of what they say is BS, 5% of the remaining 10% is actually written everywhere all over the company and the remaining 5% might actually have nothing to do with you! Yeah.. So, don’t waste a lot of time on this type of employees and employers; shut them down and put them in archiving or something!
B. ‘اللي شايف نفسه’ Mr. Know it All, I’m God.
Yes, some people actually treat their colleagues this way because they have a degree, studied somewhere or sometimes just because they’re more intelligent than others. It’s not an excuse, and trust me your attitude makes people hate working with you and given the chance, they won’t. If that happens, you won’t add any value neither to the company nor yourself. And as much as the management appreciates the intelligence this person possesses and how much money they might be bringing in the company, but they will lose money on the long run if this person continues to run things the way they do.
C. ‘الحويط’ Mr. Know it All, Share Nothing at All.
Now that type of person in specific is a typical pain in the…… (I leave the blanks for you to choose your most preferred spot). That person has a wealth of information and shares none of it with his/her colleagues, leaving them to work in the dark; hoping that they will show up as the most knowledgeable and be praised by management. Please wake up, information helps others just as much as it helps you, and it damages others; and if others’ jobs are damaged the company is damaged! You are not taking the company hostage and negotiating with it to get a better deal! Some people do that by the way, and it doesn’t always work. Management, please demote that person!
D. ‘البراشوط’ aka ‘The Parachutist’ Work Stealer.
Remember that guy or girl from university who came to ask for help on a project and you shared your work, so they took it, put their name on it and presented it as their own before you delivered yours? Well guess what, they’re back, only now they’re wearing business attire, speaking more eloquently – or not necessarily even – and most importantly they’re still there and they haven’t grown out of this phase. You have to keep your eyes open when dealing with this type of people, some of them are mare managers, seniors and some of them are sitting in the cubicle next to you. Management, please fire them already!
There’s a lot more to be said and this is just scratching the surface about employees, especially in Egypt. However, I am sure some will find similar or identical cases in other parts of the world. In the end, as we agree to do a job, I believe it is our role to do it right till the end, and to do our best. I personally say: my work is my signature. Does it mean we don’t make mistakes or alternate between good and bad days? Sure we do, but we must try to move forward and develop. If half – just half – of the effort spent on conspiring, gossiping and wasting time is driven towards your work, trust me you will be amazed with your own results.
By: Tarek Hassan Refaat
Photography: Mahmoud Mansi
EDITOR: Mennat-Allah Yasser Zohny