What really winds you up when it comes to your colleagues? Is it their loud typing, their gross habit of leaving food to rot in the fridge for weeks, or even the fact that they gossip – incessantly – for hours?
No matter what your own personal issues are – what is the UK’s collective most annoying office habit? Stationers Paperstone wanted to get to the bottom of it once and for all, and the findings have been most certainly interesting. They found that the answer to the question really lies in who you are.
Overall, the most annoying habit was found to be the fact of leaving disgusting food well past its sell-by date in the fridge for months, followed by their workmates eating foods with a strong smell. A little more surprising was the hatred of gossip – but then most people don’t like to imagine that they’re ever capable of such a thing.
If you look at the differences between males and females, it’s clear that there are a few differences.
Men in particular hate the gossiping aspect (perhaps seeing it as a ‘feminine’ trait, despite being equally guilty in some cases), whilst women reallt can’t deal with the old food in the fridge situation.
Those in Scotland and Northern Ireland hate gossiping as a whole as well, whilst the Welsh said they hate when people clip their nails at their desk. It is unclear why anybody would do such a thing at work.
Not everything annoys everyone, though. It’s good news all round for those with long nails, as the study found that loud typing is the least annoying thing you can do. Loud chewing is another matter though if you work around those in the 18-24 bracket – it’s the thing they absolutely cannot stand most.
Overall, when you know you have to work with a group of people day in, day out, it’s often a good idea to keep on their good side. Everyone should be allowed to be themselves, without infringing on the rights of their workmates. Don’t get to boiling point – if something annoys you, say something!
Just don’t ever be rude, and remember, you have to work with these people and they have to work with you, so ensure you make a conscious effort to try and get along in harmony.
