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March 09, 2005
Annoying Work Habits
I sit across from Thad (and his new fancy throne, which I’m in awe of), and one thing I’ve learned about him over the last two years or so is that he is one vicious cougher. Stand witness to the wrath of one of his cough attacks and you’re inviting whiplash.
But he’s not the only one. Everyone here has been sneezing and coughing (hey, it’s winter in New England), and each of my coworkers has a signature to his or her violent, spasmodic expirations of breath. In fact, I’m confident that I can detect who’s expelling what audible reflex in a blind test. In a weird way, this is kind of comforting. I know my coworkers pretty well; we’re like big preschoolers. I can tell Thad to shut up when he won’t stop coughing -- and I know he’ll probably throw something at me in response. But it’s all good.
But some workplaces aren’t as chummy. Some coworkers don’t cover their mouths when they cough, for instance, not considering that their cubicle neighbors are mere feet away. And sneezing is just the tip of the iceberg. I recently ran an article about the top 10 annoying habits at work, which garnered dozens of responses citing all sorts of scary workplace habits.
It goes without saying that you should probably avoid the habits outlined in the article. In addition, here are some of the annoying habits that readers pointed out:
- Interrupting someone while he or she is talking
- Chewing and popping gum loudly
- Chronic lateness to meetings, etc.
- Clipping toenails (who does this?)
What are some annoying habits in your office?
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Posted by Maya on March 9, 2005 at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (64) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
I once worked with a project manager who would send an e-mail to me, and before the e-mail even made it through the server, appear at my cube door asking if I'd read the e-mail he'd just sent. This happened more than once. It was amazing but annoying none the less.
Posted by: x. | Mar 9, 2005 5:57:34 PM
I've noticed that people at my workplace refuse to open the outside doors for themselves, and ALWAYS use the handicap door opener.
Scan the badge
push the button
wait for the door to open
and then walk through.
and it always seem to be the people with backpacks on wheels.
http://doingboeing.blogspot.com/2005/03/rolling-backpacks.html
Posted by: Adam | Mar 10, 2005 1:00:45 AM
Funny you should mention that particular pet peeve, X. As of today, we are instructed to email a certain department with a request for something and then go to their desk and tell them about it.
Posted by: trumwill | Mar 11, 2005 11:53:31 PM
I will never understand why people push the elevator button twice!!! The lights on, so it has already been pushed!?!?!?!?!? I'm baffled.
Posted by: Devin | Mar 25, 2005 1:32:04 PM
I work with George who talks baby talk to his wife on
the phone, coughs up a lung hourly, announces that the
telephone is ringing (but does not answer it) and at
10:00 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon shouts
"ten o'clock and all's well" every day for the last
four years. I sit 14 inches away from him and I am
thinking of getting a transfer. The boss says he is
old and will be retiring soon - that was in 2001.
Posted by: jim | Mar 26, 2005 9:31:15 PM
Coming from a Sales environment where customer service came 24-7, MY PET PEEVE is co-workers that look on the internet for new vehicles, plan their entire wedding,honeymoon and vacation during working hours, and constantly talk about how much they want to quit their jobs for a more fun one! Of course when the boss comes by they start pounding the keyboard and acting stressed out...These folk need to be happy they can goof off because they would never make it in SALES!!!
Posted by: Kat | Mar 27, 2005 8:23:02 PM
My pet peeve is reading these posts from complainers. In a cube envoronment there is always going to be coughing, sneezing, peronal business, chewing, etc....Get over it! Maybe if you focused on your responsiblilties, what others were doing around you would not be annoying???
Posted by: Mike | Mar 28, 2005 1:09:18 PM
That is the problem. It is difficult concentrating on
billing Medicare for hundreds of thousands of dollars
a month when the person next to you is singing
"Jingle Bells" in a loud voice for the tenth time
in the last sixty minutes.
Posted by: jim | Apr 3, 2005 3:30:37 PM
hjkhjhfjklfgytu dfhgjesdfgu456789
Posted by: micheal seamen | May 26, 2005 6:55:32 PM
Good Day,
These are my thoughts about co-workers and annoying habits (in fact, about the public behavior of people in general):
I HAVE HELD my peace for a long time and I haven't said anything. Sometimes saying something just incites passive-aggressive behavior.
In society we seem feel entitled to act with what I call the Burger King Ethic, which is: "I can do anything I want, any time I want because it's my RIGHT."
And if you have a problem with someone else's behavior, no matter how kind or rude, it is ALWAYS perceived as YOUR problem.
Like I said, today I have had enough. I am tired of it and tired of you.
Getting along with others in public can be made easier with some basic behavior guidelines like these:
DENTAL
Do not floss your teeth in front of your computer.
Do not brush your teeth at your desk.
Don't leave your toothpaste encrusted toothbrush at the common area kitchen sink. I have my own brush, thanks.
FEET and NAILS
Don't clip your nails in full view of everyone so that we can see the cut nails zing out on to the carpet. Clipping them behind the door doesn't hide it either.
Pick out the lint from your sweaty shoes at HOME so we don't have to sit in the waft of your foot odor.
LADIES!
Change your panty liners in the ladies room, in the stall, NOT the office. Throw out your liner in the ladies room NOT the office.
If you want to create a toilet paper bird nest to sit on whilst you go to the bathroom, remember to flush it with your waste. Don't just leave it there and walk away; it's likely the next person won't be interested.
FOOD
If your food looks like a penecillin farm in the common area refrigerator, throw it away. Go even further and realize that it's likely no one will be wanting it either.
Don't leave your coffee on a shelf until it looks like an acrylic paint experiment.
Chewing with your mouth CLOSED is better than smacking sounds, especially if you are over 45 years old.
This goes for candy too: suckling is for infants.
CULTURE
Being from a different culture can only go so far. It's a nice idea to try and fit in with the country you are living in.
Make a stab at learning english. Don't be offended. I would expect you to tell me the same thing if I were working in your culture! I am just tired of having to explain everything over again. When working with the public it is helpful to be able to communicate intelligibly at least 50% of the time.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
It shouldn't take two hours to figure out what that little animal is that comes out on Groundhog Day.
Discussing the latest updates in your favorite TV shows and the way the shrubs look is a good topic to bring up on your own time ... somewhere else. If you want to hold seminars, get another room.
RELATIONSHIPS
It's really not necessary to find out what's going on in everyone's lives just because you forgot you might not have one of your own. It's not too late to look for it.
If you want to have an affair do it outside the office. Trust me, people really don't want to know.
When you see someone filing papers and they have arranged them on the floor temporarily, don't walk on top of them three times in a row in a leisurely manner. Surely there is enough room to go to the side.
Your music might be appealing to you at high volume but maybe not always to those around you.
Singing along out loud in a mournful manner is not advised either.
If a woman is overweight or has a 'belly' don't lay your hand on it and say, 'You didn't tell us you were pregnant!' with wide eyes. This kind of humor never goes over well.
CELL PHONES
If you're going to receive personal calls at work turn down your ringer volume so that it doesn't sound like a carnival ride starting up every twenty minutes.
Having personal conversations is okay but not at top grating volume. You might even try having personal conversations somewhere else outside the office!
GET OVER IT??
Yeah I would love to. But you also need to take responsibility for your own behavior and understand how you impact others with it.
SOCIETY--WHAT HAPPENED??
We no longer feel the need to take responsibility for ourselves. Why should we? when we can always blame [fill in the blank here]. We have to work with others and courtesy and thought for others around us should a common goal, not a by choice option.
Not so long ago American society used to have an emphasis on the 'greater good' and what we could do for others and our country. Now it's all about our selfish little bubbled selves. With the advent of technology we are even more isolated from each other. And I can tell you we are paying for it as a society and as a country! not only here but out in the world!
ATTENTION BOSSES!
Besides, your behavior is a distraction to my productivity and LOST TIME is MONEY being WASTED.
It's disheartening to see people of all ages acting out.
I'll try my best. You try too.
Posted by: elray77 | Nov 14, 2005 3:01:22 PM
People that are on the phone ALL the time! Especially for LONG periods of time as if they are at home in their Living Room. I mean really... Just because No one has taken the time to correct you doesn't mean you continue on with bad work ethic!
Posted by: Duly Annoyed | Jan 30, 2006 3:33:15 AM
We have a coworker who flashes the light switch when he arrives in the morning, flashed the light when he goes to lunch and upon his return. And you guessed it...when he leaves for the day....WHY???
Posted by: Debbie | Feb 9, 2006 12:03:08 PM
I have a coworker who must be brain damaged, since she will ask the same question at least five times in an hour, and each time she acts surprised at the answer. If you nod when you answer her, she will start nodding along with you, and she repeats everything anyone (including herself!) says at LEAST three times. EG: "where does this ship from?" "It ships from California." "Oh, California. OK, so I should ship it from California?" "Yes." "OK, California. I'll ship it from California." Oh, and she GIGGLES at everything she says even when it's normal conversation. And she talks to herself in a normal conversational voice - I keep thinking she's talking to me and it's distracting! I have NO patience for ditzy broads....
Posted by: kt | Feb 18, 2006 10:55:46 AM
My coworker is constantly sniffling loudly and it sounds like he's snorting. It's very annoying. Are there any suggestions on how to let him know?
Posted by: Nan | Feb 22, 2006 4:21:44 PM
I feel a sense of relief in reading these posts! I have two co-workers who are both unnerving! One of them eats at her desk with her mouth wide open. When she is done eating she proceeds to start a vicious tooth sucking! In addition she also clips her nails! I feel as though I am totally going mad. The other co-worker chews gum like Elsie the Cow! She is also very obtrusive, example she slams everything the phone receiver, cabinets, desk drawers! I mean really slams things so loudly that I jump and she is generally very heavy handed! It amazes me that peoplecan be so rude and crass!
Posted by: V. Fawn Lagnefors | Mar 9, 2006 1:13:16 PM
I have a co-worker who is consistently trying to put me down, I hear her voice and I cringe or think Im going to vomit. I think she needs to work on her personality and stop worrying about what she looks like....Oh I wish she would read this
Posted by: Jane | Mar 25, 2006 1:09:27 AM
I have a guy that sits directly behind me and whistles all day long. And if he is not whistling he is singing or humming. I asked him to stop once and it lasted for about a week. Then he started back. I asked if he wanted to switch desks so he can be in front of me and maybe the problem would go away. He got offended and said "When you had that cold this winter and kept coughing I didn't say anything". That's when I realized I was dealing with someone of far less intellect so I got a set of noise cancelling earphones and poof he was no longer a problem. Now, everyone in the office has them and he wonders why. hmmmm.
Posted by: Up to here | Apr 25, 2006 4:20:10 AM
I sit directly across a desk from a bloke who scratches his head all day long!! Now everyone has an itch from time to time - but please ... not non-stop ones. Then when he feels the need to dig out & examine the lumps of scalp from under his fingernails I feel like screaming!! Nice enough fella other than that - but he bloody needs fumigating IMHO!!
Posted by: Graham | Apr 27, 2006 7:20:02 AM
My fellow government workers are blessed with all of the above virtues and far more!
One thing not yet mentioned: The elevator is at capacity with occupants. It opens on a floor that no one gets out on (leaving for the day; coming in for the day). Behold, 4 very large men/women awaiting the elevator with those damn rolling luggage cases. No room for 12 people? No problem! Let's squeeze in and smash the occupants in the back. Can this get much worse? Wait. What's that wicked smell...
If the elevator is such a necessity (like when you can't stop eating candy bars and McDonald's all day) then wait for the next one. Or, hell, try taking the stairs and shed some weight? I just take the stairs most of the time. It's just not worth the frustation.
The ones who use the automatic door opener button for the handicap as they stroll around with the luggage on wheels. Even if the door takes considerably longer than opening the door yourself.
Fire drill! Tornado drill! To the stairwell! The line is backed down the hallway. Somehow, all of the people with mobility issues made it to the stairwell before everyone else.
That streak down the back of the toilet ring. How did it make it all the way back there when the toilets in the facility are 3 times as long as the ones people have at home?
The epic struggle between the battle of good and evil....in the toilet stall next door? Do they do this at home?
I must digress on some issues. To state that I'm not guilty of minor (not any of the above) annoyances would be a lie. I can't fault co-workers for things beyond their sphere of control. For instance, the fellow in the cubicle next to me must have a bowel issue (as I've known others with the same problem). I can randomly hear him fart while he's talking on the phone.
Posted by: TaxesTrumpDeath | May 10, 2006 11:52:42 AM
I haven't experienced anything quite as impressive as the above examples, though I did have a minor annoyance at my last workplace. The job and duty I performed was very much team-oriented. One of the ladies on our team, though fun to hang out with outside of work, was absolutely horrid. She'd often get to work late and always carrying emotional baggage that would interfere with her performance and ultimately, my team's performance. She'd take approximately 150 breaks per shift, when we're allowed 2. I'd often locate her at remote areas of the work location, simply chatting on a private cellphone. Once, in a broom closet! Even after speaking to her and my manager about this issue, the problem did not cease. My manager, of course, was only interested in results. He cared not what we did, apparently, so long as we delivered. It was all very frustrating.
Posted by: jdb1985 | Jun 3, 2006 10:46:15 AM
I work one cubicle away from a woman who clears her throat for 10 minutes after lunch every day. She talks to herself in a hissing whisper all day long. When she talks on the phone, she practically yells.
A year or so ago, she brought in a coffee mug warmer and melted a candle on it so as to have constant "scent". It made all the people in my department nauseous and dizzy.
She's always freezing, and sits next to the radiator, which has an attached heater unit. She was running it all day long, so I was in the bathroom putting cold compresses on my face and trying not to pass out. I went in and complained, and so did a couple of other people. Only when my manager threatened to move her to another area, she turned the thing off.
Posted by: SAM | Jun 16, 2006 3:24:58 PM
I have an annoying co-worker who sneezes about 100 times a day. And I realize that sneezes are involuntary, but this is out of control! Everytime she sneezes, she says the letter "Q". So during a typical hour, I will be on the phone with a customer and I hear "Q" "Q" "Q" "Q" "Q"! It's like she's trying to recite the alphabet but can only complete 1/26th of it. CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!!
Posted by: trixiesi | Jul 6, 2006 4:59:50 PM
WE HAVE THE "DO NOTHING" CO WORKER...
Ok I think me and a couple other co-workers have had it with this dude. He just got hire back after being fire from his other job he got after getting fired from this place of employment for sexist ways and bad performance. And everyone dislikes him because most of them know him from the last time he worked here. He is a sexiest, lazy, now it all. Its one thing if you are sneaky in the acts you perform but this guy is a shmuck!
Each day we come up with a Phrase or Word or something of the day but for a long time now we have been stuck on "How do you do nothing and get paid for it". He doesnt do anything and my department sits behind him so we can see everything he "is"n't doing. Its sad because it hurts our department because we see him getting away with doing nothing and we are worked like crazy. I blame the ignorance on my job for hiring the piece of work back after firing him no matter how stupid we think the loser is. And think that if they can hire him to do nothing or have such crappy supervision they must just have the money to waste when they could be paying us hard workers a little extra. All day he just talks and tells everyone else how they should or he would do their job, talks a lot of BS that he has yet to back, chat on the phone (personal calls), surf the net and critic other newspapers websites when im sure he doesnt know the first thing about web design, and last but not least floating between offices acting like he is doing something and coming in and jumping on a computer to surf looking busy. IS IT US THAT ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT CAUGHT ON OR ARE THE UPPERS DOING THE SAME THING SO THEY DONT NOTICE!
Posted by: Southern | Aug 18, 2006 5:14:21 PM
My coworker is constantly sniffling, snorting and clearing his throat loudly. It's very annoying and grossing out several people in his near vicinity (including me, to the point of loosing my appetite). No one wants to any anything to him, and apparently he’s been spoken to. Are there any suggestions on how to let him know? Or even try to cope? I’ve been wearing earphones and trying to drown out the noise with music!
Posted by: bugged | Sep 14, 2006 9:17:49 AM
I have a co-worker who uses the speaker phone before EVERY call. So you hear the dial tone for a good 5 seconds at high volume and then she dials the number as fast as she can. Lots of times she gets the number wrong and has to start over. This time around the dial tone goes for about 7 seconds while she tries to remember the number, she gets the number right the seonds time. Now you hear the phone ringing, ringing, ringing, ringing, ringing, until the person picks up or it goes to voice mail. She does this about 10 times a day. I asked her not to use her speaker phone but it's like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. I've come to the conclusion that she's retarded and my teaching methods need improvment. So the next time she did it I sent her an email with dial tone sound clip attached. That didn't work either.
Posted by: Dial Tone | Sep 20, 2006 5:07:39 PM
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