Drama Divas in the Workplace
“Can you believe it? The water cooler is empty again!”
“Silvia asked Rav to do it instead of me. Clearly I must not be good enough!”
“Lunch at 12:15 today? But my lunch hour is supposed to be at 12:00! I cannot get OVER this manager I’ve got!”
If this sounds like someone in your workplace, turn off your TV, unsubscribe from your streaming service, put down those books. These people have enough drama in their lives to entertain you for a lifetime.
Drama, drama everywhere
In addition to the ongoing crises in their lives (and there’s always one or two), everything that happens at work is a Big Deal. It’s so bad, you’re afraid to start your day by asking, “Hi, how are you?” for fear they might actually tell you. They don’t have problems, they have Catastrophes. They don’t get a cold, they get a serious upper respiratory problem with an irrepressibly pounding headache. Their coworker, Jason, didn’t just make a mistake, he’s out to get me.
Be very, very careful
There are a few things you can do to address a Drama Queen or King’s behaviour, but they don’t always work. It’s an integral part of their personality which manifests itself both at home and in the office. You do, however, want to be very careful before repeating one of their stories or jumping to their defense. Make sure to double-check any information you get from them.
You also want to avoid getting unwittingly involved with their dramas. Stay neutral. If they say something you don’t agree with, and you directly contradict them, you might end up being their next topic. So, for example, your office drama-diva says, “I can’t get OVER the foul language Ralph used at the meeting. Every second word was a profanity! Wasn’t he awful?”
The wrong response would be:
“I thought he handled himself really well. He dropped an F-bomb once, but that was pretty understandable in the circumstances.”
A safer response would be: “He did use a choice word.”
If you’re the drama divas’ coworker, and the behaviour is having a negative impact on you, it’s important that you talk with your manager. If you’re the manager, you absolutely have to address the behaviour before the workplace becomes irreparably toxic.
But, if your overly dramatic colleague isn’t bothering you, being disruptive or hurting morale, the best approach is to just get some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show.
