The people around you at your workspace are part of the environment that has a huge impact on your performance and state of mind. Everyone enjoys the company of colleagues who are professional and sociable. Talking of IT firms, a mutual sense of teamwork is one of the integral conditions for building a sound ecosystem. The majority of projects have to be addressed through a collaborative approach, so understanding and reliability is applicable to each team member. Competitiveness is a good thing within an organization, as long as it does not promote negativity or generate conflicts.
Regardless of your skill level, as a developer you know the kind of people you like to work with. Nobody likes to be around individuals with an annoying attitude, that becomes a havoc for the job at hand, plus everyone’s mood. In this article, I will highlight some common characters that are greatly disturbing for a workplace. Also, I will make sure to add some advice on how to avoid turning into that developer you never want to be paired with:
#1. The Slacker
The Slacker is the one of the widespread species of developers, and can generally be defined as people who do not give a damn about anything. Consequently, the carelessness shows in their work, so much that it becomes burdensome for the entire facility. It’s not that they’re incompetent, but they simply refuse to put a little effort. They act lazy on purpose and find peace in the headache they cause to others. Their code has far too many typos and the names they assign to variables are pretty Delphic.
Despite being given instructions repeatedly, the Slacker sticks to his/her lackadaisical ways and continues to be a source of discomfort. They are likely to neglect old comments in code and submit without omitting them. They will turn a blind eye to eminent issues in their script. Other developers will have to waste time, energy and company resources in fetching their mistakes and correcting them.
How to avoid becoming a Slacker:
The straightforward solution is to take pride in your work and do it wholeheartedly. If you hate your job then just quit, and stop torturing the people who actually care. Instead of watching the clock every 5 minutes, concentrate on the task at hand. Review your code at least once before handing it over to the next person. If you cannot cultivate a sense of responsibility and let go of a vague demeanor, understand that your days are numbered in the real world.
#2. The Belated
Ever heard of the term ‘fashionably late’? It is the act of arriving late at an event in order to prove one’s high social standing. It is certainly considered as a style statement for parties or other glamorous events, but many developers around you may have misunderstood the concept. They have made a habit of always being late, whether it’s an important internal meeting, a submission deadline or simply about showing up at work on time. Tardiness is probably the worst quality one could speak of, in relation to every kind of profession.
Punctuality is a respected attribute; being late to an interview could be the sole reason for disqualifying you for a vacancy. There is no excuse for being late every time or daily; it is plainly a pattern of choice. On the contrary, if it happens once in a blue moon then that is naturally acceptable. A developer who is 10 minutes late to a meeting has not just made the others wait 10 minutes for him/her. For example, if there are 5 people on the team, the latecomer has wasted 50 minutes (5×10) collectively. Apart from that, they delay work on every occasion, which will sum up to a considerable cost in the long run.
How to avoid becoming a Belated:
First of all there is no such thing as fashionably late within the working space; reserve that lifestyle for other resorts. Recognize the values of equality, so that you see you’re like everybody else around you. If they can exercise punctuality and meet deadlines, why can’t you? Start from the beginning of your day by getting up earlier and pursuing all activities in the same order + pace. If it helps, you can set all your clocks 10-15 minutes ahead. This is a psychological strategy which helps people cope with their time management issues.
#3. The Motormouth
There are people who speak to live and then there are people who live to speak. I don’t know about you, but I have only felt comfortable around the 1st kind. No matter what the profession, one must speak to the point and stay on topic. Some developers tend to babble during meetings, which adds several unproductive minutes to the session. It seems that they don’t realize they are consuming time that could be used for getting actual work done; it could be multiple tasks, depending on the number of candidates.
Most of the rambling is directed towards self-praise or showing off knowledge that is barely relevant to the agenda. Co-workers normally sit patiently through the narrative, silentently praying for it to end. Sometimes not all people at the meeting or within a space can understand certain technical terms being used. Nonetheless, they will nod their heads in order to hide their embarrassment or distress. Proper communication skills is an important part of a developer’s career.
How to avoid becoming a Motormouth:
Keep in mind that actions speak louder than words. Put this into effect and people around you will be genuinely impressed. You must have a clear idea of the circumstance where you’re going to talk and acknowledge different people in the audience. Say something that will resonate with each of them, or use multiple variations to accommodate all; nonetheless keep it short and don’t get carried away. Do not use work space as a place for catharsis, and share your stories out of working hours.
#4. The Credit Thief
Behind every great project is a team of developers who have worked in harmony and resolved problems with joint effort. There is no shame in sharing the glory of an achievement, especially when the other person has solemnly done their part. Regardless of basic moral values, some developers grab every chance to stand alone in the spotlight. They will go behind your back and discuss the project with management in a way that suggests that it was solely their hard work.
These kind of developers are brilliantly sneaky and can cleverly take credit for anything or everything. The victim of their artifice often remains unaware for a long time or cannot revolt despite being posted. The only way to get rid of their tricks is to gradually alienate them from your assignments and build up the confidence to highlight your own contributions. Sometimes taking credit for something might not be wrong when the person helping you is external to the business, or the assistance was negligible. Even so, the least you can do is be grateful by delivering a simple “thank you” via a suitable means of communication.
How to avoid becoming a Credit Thief:
Working within a highly competitive environment can make a person power hungry and sometimes taking credit for others’ work seems like a convenient shortcut. Truth be told, it can definitely score you a handsome amount of plus points to begin with and your popularity will surge among the managerial level. On the contrary, your peers will see through you sooner or later, and become grudge-holding foes. When you give credit or acknowledgement to the person who deserves it, you will feel good inside and make a friend. Ask yourself if you want to choose instant short-lived fame + enemies over step-by-step long-lasting success in the midst of well wishers?
#5. The Whiner
There are at least a few whiners in every tech-based organization and can be referred to as the dark clouds of an ecosystem. The primary traits of this category of developers include:
- Making constant excuses
- Throwing tantrums
- Complaining about everything
- Promoting pessimistic or biased beliefs
Nobody is perfect and making mistakes is part of the learning process. Whiners will never admit that they are in error and have an excuse for every lapse. Instead of looking for solutions, they will argue that the task on hand is the real problem; it is either impractical, absurd or something similar to that. When interrogated, they will easily lose composure and accuse you of wrongly targeting them.
Filing baseless complaints is their way of blaming the system for their own deficiencies and working with such a developer is nearly impossible because they don’t see the good in anybody or anything. They will always discourage others’ ideas and abruptly reject unfamiliar proposals. Whiners at the managerial level are particularly stressful because putting up with their never-ending negativity becomes part of the job.
How to avoid becoming a Whiner:
Transforming from a Whiner to a regular person can be an insurmountable metamorphosis, yet simply refraining from their quirks isn’t that problematic. The only way to avoid whining is by believing in yourself, trying your best and giving others a chance. No matter how dark a situation may appear, imagine the bright side and tell yourself that the universe will work in your favor.