The Most Irritating Things Happening at Workplaces

          Follow my blog with Bloglovin

No workplace is perfect. But depending on what is happening, a workplace can easily become a nightmare or can be "not that bad" to put up with. Little, teeny-tiny things or our co-workers may get on our nerves day after day. From the oddest one to the most innocent one, here is a list of annoying things happening at workplaces:

Too many people in a tiny office

Desks are put too close to each other. There is no enough space or privacy. You can't hear the other person on the phone because there is too much noise in the office. Sometimes the other person can't hear you either. 

You are forced to be best friends with a bunch of people. You even did not get this close with your real best friend. And, this is your life every single day.

Curious co-workers

They want to know everything about you. They ask such private questions about your age, your marital status, how much money you make, where you live, how much your rent or mortgage is and why you didn't get married if you are over 30 and still single. You know their questions come out of curiosity because they shoot one question after another with no regard to a real conversation. If you have to be close to this person in the office every day, that is even worse. 

It is hard to figure out the mindset of a person who is oddly curious. I don't appreciate their behavior no matter what their intention is. My defense is to get back at them with this annoying question: "why do you want to know?" And, they usually back off. 😌

No toilet paper in the restroom

If there is no toilet paper in the restroom and no one puts a new roll when it ran out, this becomes your problem every time you visit the restroom, especially if you are a female. 

Smelly co-workers

Lack of personal hygiene of a co-worker easily can be a problem in the office. Working around a person with sweat odor, bad breath or other unpleasant odors is a very unfortunate problem in a workplace. How would you bring yourself to say something about this? It is such a delicate subject, and your co-worker may get offended no matter how nicely you bring this up. 

Whenever my former supervisor needed to resolve a problem in the office, he sent a general e-mail to everyone to remind the rules or address specific issues without addressing specific names, assuming that that specific person would get the message, and they usually did. I have always found his way very professional. He never offended anyone, and yet, he was able to resolve the issue in a professional manner. Just saying. 😏

Stuff disappears from your desk

Staplers, scissors, pens, pencils... You have no idea who takes them. When you come to the office you don't find your desk the way you left it the day before, an hour ago, or even a few minutes ago. You are afraid to leave anything on your desk that might look attractive to other people. 

Needy co-workers

Tissue, pain killer, wet naps, phone charger, band aid, pen, gum... Every day they ask you if you have this or that because they never bother to bring what they need to the office. They know that someone in the office has it already. You feel irritated every single freaking time you are asked if you have what they need because it is obvious that they’ve made this a habit. 

The temperature in the office

This one is tricky. This always becomes a problem if multiple people have to share the same office. Some people feel cold and some people feel hot. They crack a window because they are too hot when it is freezing outside and then you freeze in the office or they bring a space heater to get warm when you already feel hot and then you get cooked in the office. It is hard to find a solution to make everyone in the office happy with the temperature issue.

Whispers and low voices

It gets extra annoying when co-workers behave like CIA agents. Your desk is just a few steps away from those people, and it feels awkward when all of a sudden their voices go way down and they start whispering. What is the big secret? Are you guys on a mission and saving the world? The office is not the place to get into deep subjects that need to be discussed secretly in front of your co-workers. It is not etiquette at all.

Gossiping and office politics

I have always felt lucky when I worked in an office where there was no gossip or office politics at all. Things were crystal clear in the office. I guess it was because of the head of the department. She always kept things at a certain level with great professionalism. I admired her for that. 

I haven't heard or seen anyone who would say they love gossiping and office politics—even those who are into gossiping and office politics would say gossiping and office politics is not acceptable. And yet, they still do it. It is their life style in the office—how they run their part for the business. 

Co-workers avoiding to greet you

  

Some people just don't have the basic common sense for a work environment. Probably in their 'little minds,' what they do is extremely important. The company cannot function without them. They don't have time for a simple “hello.” It is not necessary for them to say "hi" or "good morning" to you because you are just a body floating around. 

What they don't realize is that they are still being the MEAN GIRL/BOY from the high school. They usually end up not getting any support from their peers when they run into trouble. 

Having a boss who doesn't have a life

Your boss doesn't have a life. Her/his whole life is their job. It becomes a problem for you when they think you don't have a life either. They want you to work overtime. If you have plans for the night, they expect you to cancel your plans and work for late hours. They might even ask you to work from home or come to the office on weekends. Since they don't have anything better to do outside of the office, it is unpredictable when they might ask you to work overtime. And, this goes on like this all the time.  

A while ago, I have picked up the signs that this was about to happen to me after a new director was assigned for the department. She was a workaholic, and yet, she was pretty disorganized and not getting any job done because of multitasking mindlessly. I sensed that I was about to be dragged into a disaster if I didn't set my boundaries. I told her very politely and openly that I don't do any personal stuff at work, like personal calls, paying bills, etc., and that same goes for my personal life too. I also told her that I was not able to mix up my personal time with my work because I needed my personal time in order to be happy and productive at work.

There is no any better solution with a workaholic boss or I couldn't find it if there is any. The danger with my way is that they appreciate your openness and honesty and try to respect your boundaries FOR A WHILE. Then everything that has been discussed in the beginning starts to fade away in their minds because their minds function differently. If you have a boss like this one, good luck with that!

Noisy co-workers

Whether they type loudly, eat loudly or even breath loudly, they just make too much noise. Some people like tapping on the table. They distract you. It is hard for you to focus on your work.

Loud people

They are just loud. They are not considerate for others. They talk on the phone so loud that you would think they own the place.

Bossy co-workers

They have no authority on you, but they boss you around. They pretty much micromanage you. Unless the person is civilized enough to have a heart-to-heart talk with, this situation usually leads to four things: 1. An argument with the bossy co-worker because s/he is not capable to see the faulty behavior, 2. Complaining about the bossy co-worker to your own boss because you don’t want to deal with her/him, 3. Accepting the situation and putting up with the bossy co-worker, 4. Quitting your job.

Pick your battle wisely on this one.

Credit takers

You do a great job, but someone you work with knows how to take credit for your work. 

People who wouldn't wash hands after using the restroom (every single time)

Simply disgusting! Nobody appreciates working with people in the workplace who spread their germs around. 

Leaving a mess behind

They leave everything messy: office kitchen, unflushed toilet, messy common areas... Who wants to put up with that?

Pop up meetings

You are in the middle of a project, and there it is—an e-mail from your boss letting you know that there will be a meeting in 15 minutes. You have no choice but hit "accept" on the meeting invitation e-mail. You are distracted, maybe pissed off a little, cursing at your boss for not planning ahead and expecting people to drop everything in hand just because s/he wants so.

 Complainers

They are whiny and always the victim. They complain about everything, but they don't work on a solution. They want people to pay attention when they start complaining because they are mad, and they think everyone should know that they are mad. 

Co-workers who are too happy 

There is always a fake smile on their faces. They try hard to hide their weaknesses and want you to believe that they have a perfect, happy life. Usually the way they talk is full of unnecessary smiling and "happy crap" that makes you uncomfortable. 

My list ends here, but… 😊 if I dig a little more on this subject I am sure I will come up with more issues. I didn’t suggest any solutions on anything if you noticed. What works for someone may not work for another person. I wrote things up here with a hint of humor, but in reality, workplaces are where we spend most of our time with our co-workers, and we need to be aware of any behavior that creates discomfort in the environment. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated—this should be the motto.

Do you want to add anything else to my list? Leave a comment and let us know what it is that irritates you in your workplace that is not listed here.

Here is a helpful article on how to use degree abbreviations in the work environment.

My blog has no boundaries. I share any information I find and topics on daily life. Stay tuned for more. See you next time.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on this topic. I just put my own experiences together and mixed them up with a touch of humor. That is all. :-)