Wednesday, 06 January 2010

• Are YOU the Annoying Co-Worker?

   

  Cnn.com and Careerbuilder posed a question today that I think everyone needs to stop and ask themselves at some point: Are you the annoying co-worker?

  There's always That Guy or That Girl in an office or workplace,. You know, the one everyone bonds over hating? Just like Dane Cook says there's always one in a group of friends, there's always one at a job.  But if you can't think of the annoying person at your job, beware, because it might just be you.

  The cnn.com article provides a handy checklist of behaviors to tip you off if YOU'RE the annoying co-worker. So here's a list of 10 annoying habits to look out for. The ideas are theirs, but I've added some details and input to the list:
  
  

  • Giving out unsolicited advice like it's your job (and it's not!): If you're doling out more advice than an advice columnist, there may be a problem. You could be telling people that you're better than they are and that they aren't living up to your expectations of them.       

  • You can't let go of the good ol' days and adapt to changes: Things change at work, from bosses to technology, and the bottom line is you have to roll with it. I used to sit next to a secretary who had been at my firm for 35 years. Unfortunately, he never bothered to learn how to use a computer and would complain when he was asked to do anything involving a computer....like his job.

  • Forgetting that controversial topics and strong language just aren't appropriate for the office:They may make for better stories, but you cant forget that you're at work. There was another secretary at my job who'd yell obscenities into the phone at telemarketers. Yes, they're annoying....but come on!

  • Being lazy and relying on everyone else to do your job- even the small tasks: Unless you're high enough to have an assistant, YOU have to do the little things like reload printers and copiers and set up your voicemail. There's no excuse for not learning how to do it yourself.

  • You always have a better story than everyone else: Everyone loves to share stories and bond, but no one loves that guy who always has to one up everyone else's story every time.

  • Wearing too much cologne or perfume: Don't do it. End of story. And especially don't bathe in it in the bathrooms. There were some older ladies at my firm who would leave the powder room REEKING for hours after they were in there with their perfume and cheap hairspray.

  • Putting the entire message in a subject line: That's what the body of an email is for. Just put enough info in the subject lines so people know what you're talking about.

  • Replying to everyone with "K": Try to put some effort in your responses. I get that you have to acknowledge emails, but chances are if you have to respond to someone, they aren't the type it's professional to just type "K" to. 

  • Complaining about being at work EVERYDAY: We get it. We all have times when we'd rather be anywhere else but work. But that doesn't mean everyone wants to hear you complaining about it everyday.

  • You throw an awkward breakroom party for every little thing: Parties are good, but constant interruptions to work schedules are not. Especially if it's for bad cake.

  To this list, I'd just like to add  OVERUSING REPLY-ALL.  Please, please, please think before hitting reply-all. Chances are, only one person in a string needs to read your reply.

  So are you the annoying co-worker? Do you have any habits you'd like to add to this list?

   

  You can check out the full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/01/06/cb.are.you.annoying.coworker/index.html

  Image Source

  • 11:12 PM
  • 510 Views
  • 16 eProps
  • 8 Comments