The bad habits your colleagues want you to break

bad habits

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Most of us want to be liked by our work colleagues and will therefore avoid all the most obvious office annoyances. Singing out loud, constantly talking while people are trying to work, eating smelly foods at our desk and not pulling our weight are just a few of the things we might try to avoid in a bid to stay popular.

Despite your best efforts however, there may be some more subtle habits you’re doing, blissfully unaware that it’s annoying the rest of your team.

Innocent yet hugely distracting habits

When we’re deep in thought, it’s not uncommon to absent-mindedly click our pens, tap our foot on the floor, hum to ourselves, mutter out loud or tap our nails on the desk. Although you probably don’t even realise you’re doing it and no harm is meant by it, this can be very distracting and irritating to those around you.

If you know you’re guilty of this, have something less distracting on your desk such as a stress ball or a pad you can doodle on when you notice you’re getting fidgety. Even better, step away from your desk for five minutes and go for a walk to get rid of some of that pent-up energy.

Coming into work ill

A study carried out last year found that 60% of us still go to work when we have a cold. You may feel like a cold is a poor excuse to call in sick but ill colleagues regularly top the list of the most annoying things people do at work.

Sickness policies can vary hugely from company to company so it’s advisable to check with your manager what the procedure is. Nobody wants to hear you sniffing and sneezing all day though and they definitely don’t want to be exposed to any germs that might make them ill. Suggest to your manager that you work from home so jobs still get done and you don’t risk making everyone else in the office ill.

Being late

We all have days when we get stuck in traffic, the kids play up or we simply oversleep. Everyone understands this happens but employees who regularly turn up late annoy their colleagues and come across as though they don’t care to their managers.

If you’re always late because you don’t give yourself enough time to get ready, set your alarm to go off earlier and be strict with yourself about getting up. If you regularly get stuck in traffic, leave a bit earlier or think about getting public transport. If you wake up with plenty of time to get ready and don’t have to face traffic but are still late, work out what is distracting you (television, checking social media, cleaning the house) and eliminate it from your morning routine.

Not helping with the housekeeping

We’ve all been guilty of using the last teabag or sheet of paper in the printer and hurrying back to our desk so we don’t have to replenish the stock. Doing this kind of thing on a regular basis however annoys colleagues and will gain you a reputation of being lazy. Even if you’re rushed off your feet, remember it only takes a minute to fix or replace something and people will appreciate that you’re not afraid to pull your weight.

What are your biggest bugbears in the office? Feel free to share your thoughts with us below.

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