Many people across the country are now working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. While workers are likely to miss certain elements of their workplace, such as chatting to their colleagues and the buzzing working environment, it turns out that there are certain aspects people won’t miss so much.
A recent survey of 1000 workers by instantprint, a company specialising in flyers, leaflets, posters and more, reveals what grinds our gears most in the office.
Poor personal hygiene the most annoying co-worker occurrence
The results reveal that the most annoying workplace occurrence is poor personal hygiene – which came in the top spot. Following this are colleagues that eat smelly food at their desk, showing that UK workers are most irked by things that set their nostrils twitching.
Survey participants also stated that colleagues taking multiple smoking breaks are irritating, as well as those that continually whistle while those around them try to get on with their work. It seems that tardiness also touches nerves, as colleagues turning up late to work or meetings came in fifth place.
30% of respondents say senior management are the most irritating department
When it comes to workplace departments, participants said that the senior management team are the most annoying, with 30% stating they thought this was the case. Following this, the departments most likely to cause annoyance in the workplace were customer service, IT and HR – at 17%, 13% and 12% respectively.
60% would confront a colleague if they were annoying them
The survey reveals that there are several workplace habits that grind our gears – and interestingly, most workers wouldn’t shy away from displaying their frustrations. In fact, 60% of respondents said they’d let their colleagues know if they were annoying them. While there are positives to being upfront and direct with others, it can also cause workplace friction.
Businesses must encourage employees to handle workplace annoyances in a professional manner to maintain productivity and happiness in the office. James Kinsella, Co-Founder and CEO of instantprint, said: “What was particularly interesting is that the majority of Brits are happy to work out any issues amongst themselves, which is great to hear, but as an office manager or business owner, it’s key to encourage harmony amongst your colleagues, whether that’s through being selective about those you hire from the get-go or organising regular socials or team-building exercises, it all helps to keep the peace and bring colleagues closer together.”
What habits do you find most irritating in the workplace? And how would you go about resolving them?
