
Are you difficult to work with? This workplace personality test will expose how challenging it is to be your coworker.
Who Is a Difficult Person to Work With
Generally, a person who engages in office politics, causes unnecessary drama and conflict, and hinders the work of others is considered a difficult coworker.
A difficult person at work often shows signs of inflexibility, selfishness, jealousy, pessimism, and miscommunication. But at a managerial level, challenging personalities are controlling, manipulative, and narrow-minded.
Signs You Are a Difficult Person at Work
If you show four or more of the following behaviors at work, you might be a difficult person to work with:
- You’re involved in conflicts. While arguments are perfectly normal in a professional environment, too much drama involving the same people is a sign of a difficult personality.
- You’re a stubborn worker. Excessive disagreements and inflexibility at work indicate some level of toxicity in the workplace.
- You criticize everything. Constructive criticism is a must for a healthy workplace. But being too critical implies a lack of teamwork spirit.
- You overreact to criticism. Difficult people at work resist feedback and take everything personally.
- You can’t communicate your needs. A toxic or passive communication style hinders workplace relationships and affects the entire team negatively.
- You can’t keep promises. Missing deadlines, being late, and making false promises are all signs of being a difficult person to work with.
- You have trust issues. A difficult person can’t delegate tasks or work in teams because they don’t trust anyone.
- You devalue the company’s guidelines. Inappropriate or embarrassing mistakes at work might be a sign that you’re difficult to work with.
How to Stop Being a Difficult Coworker
Empathy, emotion management, and healthy bond formation at workplaces can help you become a cooperative person who’s easy to work with.
If you don’t want to be a difficult colleague, follow these steps:
- Request feedback. Let your coworkers point out your weaknesses and give you the opportunity to improve on them.
- Become an active listener. Take a genuine interest in others and practice empathy.
- Trust your team. Don’t let your trust issues stop or hinder the teamwork.
- Manage your emotions. Remain professional under pressure and keep your anger and stress under control.
How Difficult Is It to Work with You?
You might have your dream job and feel confident about your expertise. But that doesn’t mean you’re an easy person to work with. In fact, you may be a toxic coworker who’s causing all the drama at work.
If you’re asking yourself, “Am I a difficult person to work with?” this quiz is for you. The questions on this page reveal if you’re a narcissist workmate, a manipulative colleague, or a passive and aggressive collaborator. It also reveals if it’s them, not you. By the end of this difficult personality test, you may realize it’s actually your coworkers or your workplace toxicity that’s causing the problems.
By the way, if you’re a company manager, make sure to take the “Leadership Style Quiz” next. It would expose why you’re a problematic boss and what you can do about it.
Now, let’s figure out how difficult it is to work with someone like you.
How to Play?
Playing personality quizzes is straightforward: Choose the option that’s true about you—or you relate to—and select “Next.” Unlike trivia quizzes, personality tests have no right or wrong answers. But the questions are in forced-choice format. The point is to push you to choose an option that makes the most sense, not the one that’s 100% true. For the most accurate results, don’t overthink your responses. Go with options that you “feel” are the best.
Questions of the quiz
- 1How often do you engage in workplace arguments?
Rarely
Occasionally
All the time
My coworkers push me to engage
- 2How do you react when your coworkers criticize you?
I listen to them and try to improve myself
It depends on my mood
I tell them to mind their own business
I ignore them because they’re too harsh
- 3How do you criticize your colleagues?
I show empathy and remain respectful
It depends on who I’m talking to
I’m frank and unfiltered
I don’t. No one listens to me
- 4What type of professional communication do you prefer?
Verbal and in-person
Short and non-verbal
I prefer no communication at all
Written
- 5What archetype do you have at work?
Team player
Hidden gem
Solo fighter
The caretaker
- 6How do you deal with your deadlines?
I’m always on time
I’m usually on time
I can never meet the deadlines
I can’t deal with them. My manager keeps changing them
- 7Do you trust your workmates?
Yes, absolutely
Not really
Not at all
They don’t trust me
- 8Which strategy is best for getting promoted?
Hard work
Communication skills
Office politics
IDK. I’ll never be able to get promoted
- 9How do you manage work overloads?
I talk to my manager
I ask for a coworker’s help
I delegate the work to someone else
I don’t. That’s one of my main struggles
- 10Do you feel alone at your workplace?
No, I feel like I’m a team member
Kind of, but I don’t care
Yes, I don’t like anyone at my workplace
I think no one likes me. So, yeah
- 11How is your relationship with your workmates outside work hours?
We hang out like friends
I hang out with a few of them
I intentionally avoid them
I think they avoid me
- 12Do you love your job?
Yes, I love my job
Maybe; I’m not sure
No, I hate it
I’m a bit confused
- 13Do you like the team you work with?
Yes, I love them
I like some of my coworkers
I hate all of them
I do, but they don’t seem to like me
- 14On a scale of 0 to 5, how good of a team worker are you?
5 (I love teamwork)
3-4 (Meh)
0 (Solo worker)
1-2 (Not the best teammate)
- 15What do you think about workplace gossip?
I despise it
It depends on the topic
I love it
I’ve been a victim of it
- 16How would you react if you witnessed mistreatment at your workplace?
I’d report it
It depends on the situation
I’d mind my own business
I’d do nothing because no one cares
- 17Be honest; do you care about your company’s guidelines?
Absolutely
Kind of, yeah
I care about the ones that make sense
I do, but others don’t
- 18Would you call yourself an optimist or realist teammate?
Optimist
Realist
Pessimist
Visionary
- 19How do you feel about deadline changes?
I try to cope with changes
It often puts me off
I complain to my manager
It happens so often that I’m numb to changes
- 20Final question: Are you good at following orders?
Yes, I usually am
It depends on the order
No, I hate receiving orders
I used to be good at it. Not anymore