THE WORKING LIFE
Co-workers are often annoying to colleagues
By Sharon Linstedt

So what annoys you most about your co-workers?

If gossip, poor time management and messiness are among your pet peeves, you’re not alone. According to a late 2007 survey by national staffing firm Randstad USA, 60 percent of workers said they’ve heard enough office gossip.
More than half (54 percent) of those surveyed would like to see fellow staffers be more productive while on the job, and 45 percent said their office mates need to clean up their work space.

Genia Spencer, Randstad’s managing director of operations and human resources, said annoyances escalate when you put a diverse work force in tight quarters for long hours.

“As the multigenerational workplace evolves, and with colleagues spending more time together, personal and professional behaviors begin to blend, affecting the overall workplace culture, attitudes and experiences within an organization,” Spencer said.

The survey, which polled some 2,500 working adults across the United States, also found technology creates conflict. Blaring speaker phones and ring tones, use of laptops and personal digital assistants during meetings and nonstop listening to MP3 players drew co-worker boos.

Addiction to e-mail and instant messages when direct verbal communication is possible also got a thumbs down.
Staffers are also sick (literally) of inhaling their co-workers’ perfumes, colognes, stinky foods and tobacco stench.
The intensity of the annoyances is directly tied to the open venues in which many employees work, said Eric Buntin, Atlanta-based Randstad’s managing director for marketing and operations. Back in the days of real offices, with walls and a door, co-worker idiosyncrasies were physically muted.

“If you’re sitting in an office alone all day, you’re not going to be bothered by it,” Buntin said in the survey. “But if you’re working in a team of three, or it you’re in an open work environment, you’re probably going to hear more of it and be annoyed by it.”

An informal survey of some local workers and their pet peeves bears this out. Amanda, a call center employee who works in a “bull pen” with 30 people, said noise is her daily enemy.

“Even with my headset on, I hear everybody around me. There’s one guy who acts like he’s on stage,” she said. “He stands up, waves his arms around and practically yells.”

Another loud talker complaint falls into the “too much information” category. High-volume phone spats with singificant others drive co-workers nuts. Ditto for over-the-phone make-up sessions with the aforementioned.
Eric, a real estate manager, is ready to yank the iPod buds out of his co-workers’ ears.

“You see the white cords around their necks and it’s like a ‘Keep Away’ sign. It’s rude and it doesn’t make for a very collaborative atmosphere,” he said.

Lots of local workers have food-related issues on the job. Smelly food, messy food and missing food are leading woes.  “I’ve had things stolen from my lunch bag several times,” said Judy, a construction firm staffer. In a related complaint, she’s sick of opening the office fridge to find rotting, stinking food.  While many of these issues might be cleared up via a boss-issued memo, the situation is trickier when the boss is the offending party.

Josh, a legal assistant, recalled a former supervisor’s odd grooming habit.  “You’d go into his office to talk about something, and he’d pull out the clipper and start trimming his nails. Then he’d push the little bits into a pile on the desk and play with them. It was disgusting,” he said.  Josh solved the problem by getting a new job.

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