Office gossip and filthy dishes left piled on desks can make team members shake with rage, but the one thing that really riles people up is a colleague’s lack of time-keeping.
Nearly two-thirds of managers said they found their colleagues arriving late in the morning or for meetings as ‘their number one irritation’ in a survey by the Institute of Leadership and Management.
And if you tend to flick your team members an email when they’re sitting just opposite you, you could unwittingly be driving them mad. Fifty-six per cent of respondents said they despised those co-workers who chose email communication over talking directly.
Management jargon was also among the worst annoyances, with respondents describing it as a ‘pointless irritation’, which few people understand. The most overused jargon phrases, according to the results, are ‘thinking outside the box’, ‘going forward’ and ‘let’s touch base’.
As well as using management speak, colleagues who take regular cigarette breaks, come into work when they are ill and fail to make cups of coffee for other workers fuel the fury of those working alongside them.
Office attire is also an issue, with revealing outfits and thongs being labelled as common irritants.
“When office-based teams work in close proximity for long periods of time, we see that seemingly trivial issues can grow disproportionately, if left unchecked, and begin to cause upset and resentment,” says Charles Elvin, chief executive of the Institute of Leadership & Management.
“By proactively dealing with potentially divisive issues such as poor timekeeping, untidiness, excessive emails and inappropriate dress, managers can ensure they don’t grow to affect teamwork and morale.”
But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some acts that brighten the office with birthday cake and free tea and coffee topping the list. Simple gestures also generate good vibes, with respondents stating a ‘thank you’ in return for a favour or job well done means a lot, as does having teammates who take the time to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ each day.
