The 5 ‘Rudest’ Things You Could Do Around Your Co-Workers, According To New Survey
We've all had to endure the co-worker who drives everyone nuts. Here's how not to be that person.
wavebreakmedia | Shutterstock We've all worked with a colleague or two who drives everyone in the office crazy and maybe even makes our jobs harder. And if you have never had this experience? Well… the brutally honest truth is you probably ARE that co-worker!
If that might be you, a new poll provides a glimpse into which office habits make everyone at work want to hurl Molotov cocktails into your cubicle — and how your bad habits are impacting staff overall.
Monster's 'Bring Your Manners To Work' survey revealed the top 5 rudest things co-workers do at the office.
Sometimes our colleagues are full-tilt nightmares, people so awful there's really nothing to redeem them — the types who frequently result in a trip to the HR department and even a call to a lawyer.
It's not so much these ne'er-do-wells that job search company Monster focused on in their survey, but rather the people at work who would probably be perfectly lovely colleagues if they simply didn't have the kind of annoying habits that make you say, "What is wrong with you?"
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The loud eaters, the over-sharers, the diabolical monsters who microwave fish in the break room — this is more the genre of people we're dealing with. The top five rudest things co-workers do will surely resonate with anyone who's spent substantial time silently glaring in the direction of their least favorite colleague.
The survey found the following 5 bad manners are so annoying they make workers consider quitting:
1. Not cleaning up after oneself
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Personally, I haven't worked in an office environment in years, but that has done nothing to dull the memory of walking into the break room and finding it riddled with spilled coffee and protein bar wrappers. And the sheer number of times I silently screamed, "If I walk into this bathroom to find it positively filthy, I am going to burn this building down," will never, ever leave me.
Clearly, I'm not alone, and neither are you if this drives you nuts: Monster found that this was the number one co-worker bugaboo, with a whopping 88% of respondents saying they're ready to hang up one of those passive-aggressive signs that say "your mother doesn't work here, clean up after yourself!"
2. Gossipping
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Now, here's where I must come clean — I eat, sleep, and breathe gossip. It is like air in my lungs or blood in my veins. I need gossip like deserts need rain! The accounts payable gal is cheating with the IT guy? Pull up a chair, and don't skip a SINGLE plot point.
But even if you're messy like me, it's crucial to be a gossip LISTENER only. Because the minute you start actively participating in office gossip, SOMEONE'S job is getting messed up, and it's almost never the person who actually deserves it.
This gossip-created toxic work environment is surely why nearly as many professionals hate the office busybody as much as they hate the ol' peeing-on-the-seat guy from accounting — 81% of Monster's respondents said they can't stand office gossip. So, if this is you, knock it off (unless you work with me, in which case text me every five minutes).
3. Using inappropriate language
Sure, F-bombs are technically inappropriate and bristle against many people's more uptight sensibilities. But there's more to inappropriate language than just swearing, of course. This is especially true in today's political climate, where openly bigoted, degrading language is more accepted again than it has been in decades.
Seventy-eight percent of workers said they've absolutely had it with their colleagues' mouths and wish they'd put a sock in it. Take note, potty mouths!
4. Being unresponsive to messages
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Here's the thing: The whole reason deeply irritating office jargon like "circle back" exists is because people so often have to "circle back" in the first place. If you'd just respond to your emails and Slack messages, we wouldn't have to use these phrases!
More than three-quarters, 77%, of Monster's respondents said this is the thing that most drives them batty. We're all busy, and everyone's email has become unmanageable, but if you need a minute to collect your thoughts, a simple "let me look into this and get back to you by the end of the week" goes a long way.
5. Consistently being late to meetings
Everyone's late now and then, and sometimes, it's for valid business-related reasons. But we all know that guy or gal who is never, ever, EVER on time for literally anything and roars into every meeting 10 minutes late with their hair on fire with some kind of cockamamie "my dog ate my homework" excuse.
If you're that guy? Just know that your coworkers want to throw a stapler at your head. Monster found that 76% of workers have absolutely had it with their workdays being delayed by other people's inability to, like, wear a watch or whatever. Get it together!
All of these annoyances, no matter how petty they may seem, can have a real impact on your job according to Monster's findings. They found that workers respond to these five types of bad office manners with everything from actively trying to avoid them to not recommending them for promotions or raises.
So get your office etiquette together — it just might help your career in the end.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.