Which office stereotype is your vibe this summer?

There’s not much to protest when it comes to summer. The long days, clear skies, and green leaves are a happy respite from the bleak chill of winter and the dreary rains of spring. Gone are the days of watching the sunset from your desk and commuting home in the dark, of forgetting your umbrella and arriving to work dripping wet. The best way to spend your summer is, in fact, as far away from the office as possible. After months of hard work, you can leave it all behind to enjoy the weather from some distant, tropical locale.

However, what about those left behind while others go on vacation? Those that used their days off too early, or need to save them still. For workers stuck in the office during summer, the scorching heat is less appealing, the clear skies only remind them that they are stuck inside. It’s enough to get under anyone’s skin and begin to ruffle feathers when it comes to delicate office dynamics. So, if you’re still at your desk this summer, which of these archetypes is most familiar to you?

The regretful one

Perhaps the most pitiable character in the office during the summer months, this poor soul already used all of their PTO for the year. When the frost melted away and spring buds began to bloom, they jumped the gun and took off for a few weeks to enjoy the first hint of warm weather after a long winter. However, they failed to consider how it would feel to sit back and watch their colleagues set sail for exotic destinations during peak season.

Sure, they enjoyed their spring fling, but now they are left to hold down the fort while the rest of their team lounges poolside. Jealousy turns to resentment, and resentment to bitterness as they curse their past selves and continue sending emails.

The MIA one

This worker has no qualms when it comes to taking full advantage of their PTO (as they should). However, they didn’t happen to plan ahead for their time away, or even tell their team to expect their absence. One sunny Monday morning, you send them an email about the project you’re collaborating on, only to receive an automated response informing you that they will be out of the office for the next three weeks and will not be checking messages.

You wonder where they are, how you’ll meet your deadline without them, and how they have this much time off to begin with (you only get two weeks!). Hey, you’re all for a vacation, but a heads-up would have been nice.

The overachiever

As the most insufferable personality you’re forced to tolerate during the summer season, the overachiever seems to make it their personal mission to make sure they aren’t slacking off (and neither are you). While any normal worker would take advantage of the late-summer lull to take it easy in the office, focus on something that’s been on the back burner, or simply show your face once in a while, this contentious colleague uses their downtime to virtue signal and pressure their peers into working harder than they need to.

God forbid someone shirks an RTO mandate when no one else on their team is in the office, or productivity decreases in the slightest, this person will always be there to crack the whip for the benefit of their higher-ups. Sure, they have PTO too, but they won’t use it. How could the office function without them?

The slacker

This colleague may not be on vacation at the moment, but they sure act like it. Common and mostly harmless, slackers aren’t tipping the scale one way or the other when it comes to summer productivity. Unlike their overachieving and MIA colleagues, slackers see the opportunity to take a “soft vacation” during these hot, slow months.

While the cat is away, the mice can play (eg. going fully remote, taking long lunches, going offline, and not checking their inbox). They still meet the bare minimum of what’s required of them, but they recognize that with most of the company checked out, maintaining 100% productivity isn’t going to make or break their performance.

The thermostat warrior

Always arguing over the temperature, these employees are office pests that often come in pairs. With a steadfast belief that their preferred temperature is the most reasonable, and an ability to sense any deviation, they quickly engage in an irritating battle over the thermostat.

It seems that the office can never rest at a happy medium, oscillating between the scorching heat of the sun beating through the windows and the frigid cold of the AC. Don’t let them see you turn the dial or open a window, lest they undo your efforts the second your back is turned.

The ray of sunshine

Maybe this person was already a bit of a personality hire, or maybe the summer weather turned their personality around after a grumpy winter. Either way, the warm breezes and sunny evenings have filled this coworker with renewed energy and zest.

They take advantage of their pep to boost office morale with their positive vibes, invite you out for lunch on a terrace to enjoy the sun, and never complain about the temperature. Would that we could all be this person…

Photo: Jack Taylor for Welcome to the Jungle

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