Annoying traits in the workplace revealed

Poor personal hygiene is the most annoying trait in a work colleague, according to a survey by leading office supplier Viking. More than 35% of workers identified the trait as the most irritating trait in a workmate, followed by colleagues talking over conversations (29%) and the use of foul language (14%). Other annoying office traits include not listening (12%), a gripe of male co-workers in particular, and speaking too loudly (10%) – a specific grievance of female respondents.

The Viking survey also asked Irish workers to highlight the most annoying office personality type, which revealed the following:

The Slacker (48%) – Delegates their workload and does none of it themselves, hasn’t delivered on deadlines in months. Spends the day surfing the internet and making personal phone calls when the boss isn’t looking.The Complainer (40%) – They complain all day about their workload and their boss, they sigh regularly and deplete the motivation in the office but have no intention of leaving their job.The Chatterbox (12%) – The colleague who can’t keep their thoughts to themselves, can talk for hours, gossip about the latest office scandal. Can be a bad influence on you when trying to get your work done.

‘The Complainer’ topped the female colleague’s poll while male colleagues choose ‘The Slacker’ as the most annoying.

Michael Walby, Director of Viking in Ireland said: “Personal hygiene is one of those sensitive issues that has to be handled with great tact. It’s up to the employer to resolve any issues around personal hygiene with the employee in a direct but considerate way.”

“As for the other findings of our research, in particular the different personality types, again we’d encourage the employer to try and resolve any problems before they start to impact on morale and productivity,” Mr Walby said. “A mix of personalities is good for the office environment but unfortunately there are always those who bring a negative energy to work, like the colleague who won’t pull their weight or those who complain all day. Direct, albeit tactful, communication is the best way of dealing with these issues.”

*750 surveyed online by Viking.