Whether you work in a traditional office or in close proximity to people, there’s a chance you may annoy your co-workers from time-to-time, or they may annoy you.
There may be obvious offenders like cooking fish in the breakroom microwave, but there are also small, everyday things that people can find annoying.
Are you guilty of annoying your office? Keep reading for five of the common workplace behaviors that made the list of 34 Things You Do That Annoy Your Co-Workers (but They Rarely Tell You) from Inc.
5 Behaviors That Annoy Co-Workers
- Loud Personal Calls
Do you realize how loud you are? Some people are naturally louder than others, but this can cause a disruption to those around you. If you’ve been told you’re loud or simply worry about accidentally distributing the peace, find a place away from others working as to not annoy.
- Old Food and Dishes at Your Desk
This will likely annoy anyone with a decent sense of smell. Keeping food scraps from lunch in your waste basket or a pile of plates and forks can create an unpleasant smell in the office. If you have a lunch or break room, throw food away there and wash any dishes as soon as possible, or take them home to clean at the end of the workday.
- Hogging Meeting Time
Are you the only one that speaks during meetings? Even if you’re running the meeting, allow everyone the chance to speak up and share their insights; you might find some wonderful ideas from your team that wouldn’t have occurred to you.
- Pushing Off Blame
This is more than just annoying; it’s rude and irresponsible. There’s a high chance people in your office know who is responsible for what and will know if you made a mistake, no matter what you say. When you mess up, accept responsibility, learn from it and move on.
- Bringing Personal Issues to the Office
Whether you are planning a wedding or venting about a friend or family member, there are limits to how much co-workers want to be informed about your personal life. The office shouldn’t be where you organize your wedding reception or handle drama; wouldn’t it annoy you?
If you want to keep a good standing in your office, avoid these actions that annoy your co-workers. If you’re not sure if something you’re doing will annoy or not, think about how your actions may be perceived and err on the side of caution.