The term "troublemaker" sounds like someone is simply being overly energetic and mischievous, but the reality is far from amusing and endearing, particularly when the troublemaker is, well, making trouble in the workplace. The last thing you need at work is to deal with a difficult person who is affecting the mood and the sense of teamwork in the workplace and the way that everybody works as well as their attitude towards their job and the company.

There are different types of troublemakers in the workplace. You have the complainer, the person who never seems to find anything positive about the work he or she does, complains all the time, and affects how people see their jobs. This person seems to want everyone to see their work negatively as well to reinforce that he or she is not alone in feeling bad about his or her job. Then you have the gossipmonger who likes spreading personal information about other coworkers. There are also those who so readily dish out blame to other people when things go wrong in a project, rather than accepting responsibility for what they themselves may have done incorrectly. You also have the lazy ones who simply do not step up and simply do the bare minimum or try to find ways to get out of doing actual work.

You may recognize some of these people in your own workplace and no doubt you've wondered how you can get them to change or how you can deal with them. As a colleague, it has to be said that you don't really have any control over your coworkers' attitudes and behavior, and that the best thing you can do is change how you respond or the change the situation you are in. For the most part, your manager is the person who has the power to regulate your coworkers' behavior and ensure that they fall in line.

Whenever you encounter the types of office troublemakers mentioned above, one of the major things you can do is to not fall in their traps. For example, for the gossipmonger, make sure that you don't share any personal details about yourself that he or she could use against you in the future. In addition, don't remark on any pieces of gossip that he or she is sharing with you, and don't act interested; this may cause the gossipmonger to back off or seek out other people who would be intrigued.

When dealing with complainers, you can do the same thing--don't commiserate or act interested, because this will only fuel him or her to continue complaining and get your sympathy. If you have a blamer on your hands, it helps to anticipate his or her actions and make sure that you have evidence of your work and contribution to a project, as this will allow you to rebuff any claims that may be made against you. For lazy coworkers, you have to make sure that you will not be blamed for their inaction by documenting your work. You can also be more active and send reminders to those coworkers regarding certain tasks they need to do. You also have to be firm and make sure to put your foot down every time they try to wheedle into doing their work for them.

You encounter all sorts of people in the workplace, and not all of them will give you positive experiences. They can even hamper teamwork in the workplace. The best thing you can do is to be prepared for them and to keep yourself out of any trouble they will cause with their attitudes.