Most people have been there: stuck between the coworker who makes 9-to-5 bearable but struggles with the basics, and the office genius who solves every problem but ruins the vibe. In a thread on r/NoStupidQuestions, users discuss a classic workplace dilemma: would you rather work with someone who is mediocre at their job but pleasant to be around, or someone exceptionally skilled but difficult to deal with?
The peace of mind priority
For the vast majority of employees, mental peace outweighs raw efficiency. Redditors argued that walking on eggshells for eight hours a day isn't worth the trade-off, no matter how talented the colleague might be or how much they contribute to the bottom line.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsVery true for me.
I don't go to work cause I care about the job or the company. I do it to pay my bills. To that end, I don't want to hate my job. And having the wrong work partner/coworkers can make you hate life.
When I was an EMT, I'd see my work partner more hours a week than my wife. If we didn't get along, my entire life was more miserable.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsI'd rather work with someone who I can get along with on a daily basis than one who's a nightmare to deal with. The amount of stress, anxiety and mental effort would be too much.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsI have had the “exceptionally good” managers before, and they made showing up to work very stressful. I much prefer my current manager. So yes, very true!
The hidden cost of competence
Beyond just being annoying, "brilliant jerks" can actually tank a team's productivity. Users pointed out that if a genius hoards knowledge, refuses to mentor juniors, or drives away talent, their individual output doesn't make up for the institutional damage they cause.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsI work in IT.
We’ve actually formally studied this. A team of “mediocre” engineers infinitely more productive than a guy who knows everything but brings down team morale.
It’s just how human beings are. You’re not gonna remember a coworkers skill or abilities. You’re gonna remember how they treated you
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsMy husband was talking about how his team was interviewing a new candidate who was brilliant, could answer all technical questions, and had an immaculate resumé. He was asked what he'd do in a situation where he didn't know an answer to someone and would need to collaborate, to which he responded "I wouldn't need help, I'd figure it out myself" and thought that was an acceptable answer because he thought it showed that he's able to work and think independently. What it really came off as, was "I don't want to collaborate with anyone because I'm smarter than everyone." He did not get the job
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsIntelligence is not a double-edged sword. That person's lack of emotional intelligence is what's causing people to not like them and try to get them out. If they were actually intelligent, they would manage their relationships with the people around them to create the best outcomes for themselves.
When brilliance matters most
While most leaned toward friendliness, there were notable exceptions regarding life-or-death scenarios. In some fields, people argued they would tolerate a difficult personality if it meant surviving the day—though even then, clear communication remains critical.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsYeah, I was also thinking of some of my past work experience.
I used to be a 911 dispatcher & on the dispatch side of things (which is more stressful than calltaking FWIW, with a lot more multitasking) there were definitely some people who weren't exactly rays of sunshine to work with that I'd prefer over sweet people who weren't quite as good.
The way it worked was that you had 2 people, in an hour on and hour off rotation, with the "off" person handling support things if it got too crazy. Phone notifications you had to make for example while the other person had the air, or running a license plate while the one with the air took care of something else. That sort of thing.
Anyway, there was a lot of peace of mind in knowing the other person "had it" when they were on the air. I've worked with some other people who were nice who I had to take the air from them when something major went on like a car pursuit or a shooting or whatever, because they just couldn't handle the stress or the multi-tasking. Or didn't have the "ear" to make out a shouted location while a cop was in a struggle. A full shift of that is the definition of burn out.
Also you're responsible for other peoples' safety, so competence > personality.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsCame here to say this! In jobs where peoples’ lives are on the line, I would prefer competence to pleasantries.
Comment in r/NoStupidQuestionsProbably true but I think it probably depends on the job to a certain degree.
But in general the quality of my co-workers never really mattered to ME, it's the employer that it should matter to.
But there are some dangerous jobs that I wouldn't want the nicest person in the world to be doing if he wasn't good at it and could put people in danger.
The consensus makes it clear that being "good" at a job involves more than just technical aptitude; it includes the ability to work well with others. While rare high-stakes situations might demand genius at any price, most daily operations suffer when morale takes a hit.
Want more workplace debates like this? Read the full discussion in r/NoStupidQuestions, and find similar conversations in r/jobs, r/careerguidance, and r/AskReddit.
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