The concept of “duplicity” is associated with environments and individuals of ill repute.

The word “duplicity” can be defined as double dealing, deceitfulness and deception.

When one hears of such words, we think of the illicit drug world that the likes of Pablo Escobar lived in and controlled. We also associate it with the dark underworld of crooks, smugglers and hustlers; with politics where the players in the game are always perceived as less than honest as they are as fickle as the wind when it comes to making a stand on any issue.

Unfortunately, the concept of being duplicitous is rarely associated with our run of the mill corporate and so called legitimate business world since it is masked behind corporate cultural values, mission statements and vision.

The sad fact is that a lot of people go through many depressing and unbear

able days when they have to endure the intrigues of duplicitous people in the average work-place. The benefits of dealing effectively with a duplicitous co-worker includes regaining control of your life, enjoying your work environment again, becoming more productive and effective at work and also being able to use coping skills in other areas of your life.

One example of such characters who prowl the corporate underworld are office gossips. They position themselves as a source of inside information because they are privy to everything going on due to their privileged positions in organizations. For instance, they may be personal assistants to the big boss or drivers to the Managing Directors wife. They gossip primarily because they like to feel important. They are not necessarily malicious although the outcome of the wagging tongues can be perceived to be negative. Most of the office worker "buddies" always hang around them because they think they are on the inside track on career building information. What they do not realise is that their office gossip buddy could be a career limiting asset as their deceptive ways could turn against them. As the Spanish proverb goes, "whoever gossips to you, will gossip about you! The other type of duplicitous char acter found in the corporate underworld is the agitator. They tend to like disrupting the normal flow of events and are a constant source of grief for employees who are simply looking forward to a smooth and uninterrupted day of work. They tend to butt into any conversation, even when they are uninvited and have an interest in every little thing going on within their organizations. They are popular with bosses because they work long hours and seem to “give their all” to the companies that they work for.

The only problem though is that most people are unaware that agitators characteristically do not have a life beyond their work-place. It is for this reason that they poke their nose into everybody’s business because they have none of their own to mind. They rarely invite co-workers to their homes and would rather meet co-workers in neutral environments such as pubs and clubs. A small window into their personal domestic lives might reveal very lonely persons whose best friends are cats and dogs.

The final corporate underworld character is the saboteur. They are apparently the hardest co-workers to deal with because it is difficult to figure out their motives for disrupting the peace. They seem to get kicks out of causing trouble for other people even if there does not appear to be a direct benefit to them.

They are most likely co-workers who have been passed over for a promotion, may who may want to see every project fail to undermine the success of others who have moved on. Alternatively, they may be people who have reached the glass ceiling midway in their careers.