How To Even…Deal with Difficult Coworkers Part 2

By Michael Gushue & CL Bledsoe

Let’s talk about manbuns. On TV and in movies, manbuns are worn by sexy baristas or sexy musicians or someone generally sexy. In reality, there may well be folks like that, but the majority of manbuns you’re likely to encounter are worn by people like Greg, the middle manager who metaphorically writes kids names on the board when the teacher steps out. Greg is a born hall monitor. He probably drives a mustang and lives alone in a studio apartment. Greg is not the worst but he’s been taking notes and will get there someday, God willing.

Greg is usually polite in the breakroom. He’ll say hi, but he won’t make conversation with you because you’re nobody; he’ll save the conversation for the higher ups. It will be like someone flipped a switch; with you, he’ll be terse, but when the branch chief walks in, Greg will gush like a…gushing thing… If you’re paying attention, this is a red flag. He’s telling you who he is. And if you push it, he’ll clearly establish the hierarchy by stepping on you. Because Greg is always slightly higher up on the pole than you. He’s connived hard to get there, and he’ll be damned if some polite bastard is going to…