No matter how well you handle the major things – your annual review, that big company meeting, or even a looming lawsuit on the horizon – there’ll always be some trivial issue that sends you frantically searching for the nearest stress ball (or bar?)
So, we polled HRM Online readers to find out which minor office misdemeanour is the most annoying and the results are in….
Taking the top spot, with 38 per cent of the votes, is noisy co-workers.
Whether it’s the gaggle of gossipers, the manager with the 100 decibel laugh or the over-enthusiastic gym bunny who just has to tell everyone exactly how much they can lift – you just wish they would turn the volume down.
It’s no surprise so many of us are frustrated by noisy co-workers. According to the international Facility Management association, nearly 70 per cent of offices now have open layout and the space we’re all working in is getting smaller by the day.
In 2010, the average square footage per worker was 225 but by 2012 it had dropped to 176. It’s expected to fall even further, to just 100, by 2017. As the space we work in gets smaller, the noise around us inevitably gets louder – perhaps it’s time to invest in some noise cancelling earphones?
The poll also revealed that, coming in at a close second with 31 per cent of the overall votes, dirty dishes left in the sink also riled employees. This was followed by rotting food left in the fridge, which took 25 per cent of the votes, and finally food theft which took just five per cent of the votes.
More like this:
The biggest office distraction: people
How to manage conflicts in the workplace
Are you annoying your coworkers?
