Coping With the Co-Worker You Hate

June 4, 2009 — -- We've all worked with employees who think they walk on water.

Their idea of collaboration is you doing most of the work and them taking most of the credit. If and when they do decide to lift a finger, they throw a category 5 tantrum if anyone tries to change so much as a comma. And no matter how shoddy a job they do, they expect management to shower them with more praise, perks and pay than anyone else in the office.

A journalist I'll call "Maia" told me about a self-entitled colleague she endured for a year at a past gig.

Looking for career advice? Click here to send Michelle your questions and they might end up as a topic for her next column.

"Her job was to answer phones and do editorial assistant stuff, and where she could fit it in, she got to do stories," Maia said.

Only Maia's coworker didn't like the administrative part of her job and began taking long lunches, excessive breaks and liberties with quitting time.

"Because she was leaving early, her work was landing in my lap," said Maia, who'd been hired as a reporter on a trial basis and was working hard to impress the boss into offering her a full-time position. "It wasn't in my job description to cover for her, but someone had to so I did."

Suffice it to say Maia's eye-rolling soon gave way to stress, resentment and unpaid overtime.

But Maia got off easy. Some office divas have a loose relationship with the truth and live to badmouth you to management. Others are all too happy to steal your clients and sabotage your projects.