Workplace habits that drive co-workers bonkers

Repeated tardiness, whining, shirking work and olfactory assaults—pungent foods, acrid fragrances and noxious body odor—top the list of things people hate about their colleagues.

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Lateness, whining and eating smelly food are office workers’ most annoying habits.

Office workers find colleagues’ lateness to be the most annoying habit, a new study finds, although only a third are prepared to do anything about it. More than 40 percent of respondents said that annoyance made them consider leaving their jobs—with a striking 5 percent having actually quit.

The top 20 most annoying habits by rank:

1. Being regularly late
2. Whining all the time
3. Eating stinking food
4. Taking lots of cigarette breaks
5. Deliberately taking a long time to do something/constant procrastination
6. Not replacing things that run out (e.g., printer paper, coffee)
7. Talking on the phone too loudly
8. Having bad hygiene (coffee breath, BO, visibly dirty clothes)
9. Gossiping
10. Spraying deodorants, aftershaves and perfumes at desk
11. Coming to work when very ill
12. Texting/using mobile phone all day
13. Having an untidy desk
14. Talking too much about private life
15. Invading personal space
16. Not making a tea round
17. Humming/whistling/singing
18.Constantly tapping/clicking pens/typing too loud
19. Stealing other people’s food/lunch
20. Using jargon

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