Psychologist reveals 10 office personality types - which one are you?

The "Big Talker", the office show-off, is considered tje most tricky to work with. Photo / Getty Images

Every office is full of different personalities, but according to one expert our colleagues tend to fall into 10 distinct categories.

New research by business psychologist, Dr Lynda Shaw, has unearthed the ten different personality types you'll find in the office - and which ones prove the most and least popular with their colleagues.

The research revealed the "Grafter", who gets their head down and is regarded as a "safe pair of hands", takes top spot as the most common character professionals come across at work - and the one who earns the most respect.

In contrast, office workers who see a "Big Talker" or "Micromanager" on the approach might turn and walk in the other direction.

However, it is the "Big Talker", the office show-off, which professionals find most tricky to work with. Meanwhile, the "Micromanager" tops the list of the characters workers feel they need the most support to work alongside.

WHICH OFFICE WORKER ARE YOU?

• THE GRAFTER - this person is heads down and gets the results; a safe pair of hands
• THE CHATTERBOX - always chatting; in the office, in the kitchen, and they know everything there is to know
• THE WORKAHOLIC - first in and last to leave, and work is their life; do they sleep in the office?!
• THE COMEDIAN - always making everybody laugh and is the centre of attention at work events
• THE BIG TALKER - you always know when this person's had a recent success because you'll hear about it!
• THE DELEGATOR - the one who passes work on to someone else as soon as it comes their way
• THE JUGGLER - juggling multiple tasks with ease, they make it seem easy!
• THE WALLFLOWER - the shy and retiring type that keeps their head down at work
• THE MICROMANAGER - the one who needs to be across every detail and every team member
• THE CHARMER - smooth talking and easy going; unflappable and can talk their way out of any situation

Discussing the new research on office personalities that she carried out alongside Premier Inn, Dr Lynda Shaw said:

"It's important to remember that every person is unique. We all have individual personalities and motivations which cause us to react differently in situations, be that at work or in our personal lives.

"Thinking specifically about the workplace, it's vital that we recognise and value these personal differences, because being able to anticipate how someone might react, and knowing how to handle individual personalities, can help us be successful at work.

"'There is no set of rules on how to navigate the workplace but there are some tips and tricks we can all benefit from."

HOW TO HANDLE OTHER PEOPLE AT WORK

• Be calm and stay in control; this will help people learn to respect you as a voice of reason, no matter who they are.

• Get to know people; What are their hobbies; do they have a family, if so, what are their names; building rapport will help you handle all types of personalities.

• Explain your intentions clearly; People are not mind readers, so don't assume you are understood, instead make sure you are calm and assertive.

• Equally, make the effort to understand other people's intentions; Ask them their thought processes in doing things, you may learn something and you will definitely be showing them respect.

• Establish the terrain when you start a new job - find out who the different personalities are so you can adapt your working style to work best with them. If you know there are personalities you might clash with - think about how to adapt your style to make working with them easier.

• Prepare for the different personalities that you may encounter in a board meeting - if you're leading the meeting, it may help to do some prep in advance, for example, by having a very focused agenda.