I continue to be amazed by people, co-workers really, who make so many classic mistakes in the office by thinking they are still in high school. Granted, there are days when I feel like I’ve never left good old Roosevelt High School, but I have learned how to identify the red-flag perpetrators of the school yard cult that silently sits in each office.

Choosing with whom to be social from work can be a complicated road to navigate. There have always been people who I liked and didn’t like in the office. Actually, there tend to be fewer and fewer people I truly like as I get older. Maybe that is because I am getting crochety in my old age, sure. But I am also getting even better at figuring out who gets to know my personal side and who doesn’t.

Here are some of the people whom I try to avoid: