“Be nice to people” is a general rule that can arguably do more good than bad. Being mean and rude to others, however, can make the lives of everyone involved needlessly difficult.

Take redditor ‘Tahnkoman’s’ story, for instance. After spending the trial period working for a company in a niche sector, he decided that it wasn’t the right fit for him, partially because of one aggravating coworker – a bully, who the OP fittingly called “Jerk”. He was rude and mean to fellow employees, so it’s no surprise that when it was the time to share thoughts, no one had anything nice to say about him. That eventually left the Jerk out of a job. Scroll down to find the full story below.

Sometimes, one difficult colleague is enough to ruin employee morale in the workplace

Image credits: Pressmaster (not the actual photo)

This man had to work with a bully whose attitude didn’t take him far up the career ladder

Image credits: prathanchorruangsak (not the actual photo)

Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Tahnkoman

A bully in the workplace is a quick way to bring down employee morale

Similarly to one bad apple ruining the barrel, one aggravating employee can be enough to kill—or at least significantly bring down—employee morale. Seeing your name next to such an employee’s can really make you dread the upcoming shift at work, as can knowing that you will have to yet again deal with their untactful comments at the office.

Unsurprisingly, employee morale plays a huge role in regards to people’s well-being and consequently – the success of the business. Forbes reports that people who believe that they have a good work-life balance are 21% more productive and dedicated. Those who are unhappy, on the other hand, are likely to experience stress, which, in turn, negatively affects their health. According to Forbes, paid sick-leave days cost companies roughly $160 billion every year, but decreasing stress and health risks can help reduce such costs.

The American Psychological Association seconds the idea that keeping employee morale up is important for not only their professional but personal lives, too. According to said source, employees who like their jobs are twice more likely to be thriving in life—reportedly benefiting from strong relationships, effective money management, good health, and engagement in their communities—than those who are disengaged and unhappy at work. Needless to say, having to deal with rude coworkers and bullies is a rather quick way to become unhappy at work.

Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

The majority of employed individuals have at least one annoying coworker

Chances are, you know exactly what it means to work with someone who can make the blood boil in your veins – even though many people wish it wasn’t, it’s a rather common scenario. Surveys suggest that as much as 90% of Americans have at least one coworker that annoys them, CBC reports. Additionally, nearly 60% said they have even considered quitting because of an aggravating colleague.

If you’re thinking, “Thank goodness I work from home”, consider yourself lucky; and not because you’re working from home, but because there isn’t someone in your workplace who is irritating even remotely. According to the aforementioned survey, as much as 55% employed individuals are annoyed with their coworkers in a remote setting, the main reasons for that being them interrupting during virtual meetings, taking credit for someone else’s work, and oversharing.

While nearly one-in-seven respondents said they have confronted the annoying person in their workplace, the number of those who let out their grievances elsewhere remains unclear. But what is clear, though, is that many people have a coworker from hell story, some of which netizens shared in the comments under the OP’s post. So, if you’re looking for more examples of how rude people can kill employee morale, scroll down to find them below.

Image credits: ImageSourceCur (not the actual photo)

Fellow netizens shared their reactions in the comments

Some have seemingly had to work with similar jerks themselves

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