Which person is worse in an office enviroment?

Yes.

I can’t pick! They both blow.;)

One from column A and one from column B.

They both suck.
If I have to choose, I have to choose in favor of the one who does actual work despite the ulterior motives.

Person 2 is worse, because she enables person 1.

Seems to be people think them both equally bad. Only I’m leaning toward number 1 only because he causes some good people to leave in a time when jobs are hard to come by and their only crime is that he feels threatened by their hard work.
However, I did always hate butt kissers.

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Valid point. Hummm.

I tend to think of them as a single entity because they are joined at the hose/hip region. She gets her nose broken every time he makes a sudden change in direction.

The one who envies them and complains about something they have no control over other than to get another job at a place of work with less butt-heads to worry about.

@Cruiser Actually several more people are in the process of looking for work else where because of the enviroment they have created. No one envies them but they were all once very happy and would have no problems working long hours off the books to get the job done. Now you have a bunch of people who will do only what needs to be done and go home. I don’t think they envy them. These kind of things never go on forever. Eventually one of them will throw the other under the bus to move ahead and look like a hero.

@Pandora That does suck and honestly it almost seems like they have something more going on then just a casual working relationship.

3. The one who puts up with that behavior and enables both of them.

@CyanoticWasp Agreed, only the new boss is also and old acquaintance of his from years ago and doesn’t know what everyone else knows. People are too afraid to fill him in because they aren’t sure how loyal he is to his old pal. So for now he relies on him for his input.

I have worked with those two. The senior person was definitely more annoying because he never had to suffer the consequences of any of his actions, but his number-one toady (and two others) deserve to boil in the selfsame vat of oil when his time comes.

@Cruiser and others, these days a lot of people are seriously trapped in the jobs they have because it is no time to be looking and no time to be rocking the boat. I knew I was on a short list heading for the guillotine just because I did call them on their BS. But I have always taken on the windmills; it’s in my nature. I do not fault any of my former colleagues who are still putting up with it. If anything, I simply pity them.

If you don’t understand anything about what it is like to work in an environment where everyone is subject to the whim of a petty and professionally incompetent despot who is utterly supported by both the managers under him and the senior managers above him, and all in thrall to their own fear of repercussions, I don’t think you ought to be too quick to judge people who live in that hell every day.

@Jeruba, Sorry to hear that. But look on the bright side. Those type of people always self destruct or destroy each other. Their personality type leans heavily on self preservation and they won’t go down with the ship.

I know. That’s why I took the out that was handed to me last fall. I hope that when he gets what’s coming to him, somebody will let me know. Meanwhile, he is out of my life, and I am infinitely better off.

@Jeruba, I had a boss like him and my boss always thought I would be the one to toss the grenade. LOL. She never did learn it was her good friend who tossed it in.
Since it was done when I left she thought it was me. I think her pal chose that moment so she would think it was me. She got tired of watching her skate by and acting entitled so she blew the whistle on her and got her fired. Either way it was amusing to see her go boom!

The questioner doesn’t sound old enough to work in an office.

Weight

Both, but number 1 seems worse!

Both are equally dysfunctional…thank god I am self employed! lol

@Jeruba Very well said

Times are a lot tougher now… eventually, if companies want to stay profitable, they will have to get rid of employees who aren’t productive.

@Haleth yeah; put them in government where they belong.

If I were you, I’d suck up to the original suck up and then snub that in his sucking up assistant’s face!

Haha just kidding. I suffer at my work as a result of these kinds of relationships (to elaborate – I have to hear about it from random people throughout the day, not participate in them). I dont care who’s a suck up = I either like you or I don’t, and usually I do. Whatever else happens, just happens and I don’t snitch, but I’m not a perfect employee either.

I say just mind your own business and do your own thing. If they really are bad people, they’ll get theirs.

@thriftymaid Not sure thats an insult or a compliment. Old enough to work in an office for some years now. However, I am now retired. The situation I gave is a situation of a good friend of mine. However I do not want to give too much detail because they can’t say anything publicly that can make the company look bad.