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Annoying colleagues push others into seeking new employment

UK office workers find colleague lateness to be most annoying habit, a new study finds, although only a third are prepared to do anything about it. Worryingly, just over 40% of respondents said that the annoyance made them consider leaving their jobs – with a striking 5% having actually followed through with such a decision.

Colleagues who whine all the time were found to be the second most annoying thing in the nation’s offices, the study by Viking reveals.

Misspent time was a key theme amongst the top five habits on the list of twenty, with excessive smoking breaks and deliberate procrastination taking top positions.

Colleagues that eat smelly food in the office were also a major annoyance, suggesting that not everyone is impressed by fragrant packed lunches.

Only a third of respondents were prepared to try and solve the problem, with a further 30% saying they haven’t approached the problem in order to avoid conflict.

The majority did not consider leaving their jobs to be an appropriate response however, with 51% stating they “didn’t think it was that much of a problem”.

Interestingly, women are more likely to be riled up by an empty toilet roll holder, whereas men ranked office gossip as a top bad habit. When it comes to confrontation, women are more likely to keep quiet to keep the peace.

Ruud Linders, Marketing Manager Europe at Viking, said:

“Close knit environments such as offices can be a hotbed for behavioural differences, and when you throw some of those against differing personalities you can end up with irritated colleagues. I think the key to a happy office is striking a balance between feeling comfortable and tolerating some people’s behaviour – however questionable”.

UK Top 20 Annoying Habits