workplace

Bad Habits That Drive Coworkers Crazy

By in Learning Tags: ,

Noisy_Talking

Hey, no one is perfect. We all have our little quirks and peculiarities. But it’s possible that some of your habits might be driving your coworkers crazy.

In an office, you have a group of people sharing the same space. And when you’re working in close quarters with people who have different working styles, preferences, and personalities, things can sometimes get a little irritating.

I did a search on the internet for “annoying workplace habits,” and found a lot of interesting results! Here are the items that were mentioned most often:

  • Being unreasonably noisy – You don’t need to be silent. But try your best to use your “indoor voice” when having conversations with coworkers or talking on the phone. Also, if you like to listen to music at your desk, consider wearing headphones. And finally, if you’re on a conference call, mute the line when you’re not speaking. No one wants to hear you munching on snacks or typing on your keyboard! (Also, if people hear you typing, it’s clear that you’re not paying full attention to the conference call. Busted!)
  • Weird smells – You might think that your air-freshener smells great. But the people around you might not agree. Try to keep your fragrances to a minimum.
  • Checking your phone constantly – Just stop it, OK? I know your phone is incredibly tempting and appealing, but when you check it while someone else is talking, you’re basically telling that person, “you’re boring and unimportant.” Even if you’re sitting in an incredibly dull meeting, try to restrain yourself.
  • Leaving the kitchen a mess – I actually don’t care if there are dirty mugs in the sink. But I know that it really bugs several of my coworkers. (Perhaps my standards of cleanliness are kind of low?) Well, in any case, you can avoid any conflict by simply washing out your mugs and dishes. And if your food is rotting in the fridge, throw it out. Your coworkers will appreciate it!
  • Invading personal space – In many offices, space is already limited. So don’t limit it further by getting too close to your coworkers. Also, don’t touch other people’s computer screens. (I’m guilty of this one! When I get excited to point something out, I lose all control and start stabbing my finger at people’s screens. But I’m trying to do better – honest.)

Can you think of any bad habits that should be included on this list? Feel free to add them in the Comments section below!

Workplace Sabotage

By in Communication, Learning Tags: ,

AnnoyedAtMeeting

I don’t want to disturb you. But it’s possible that you might be sabotaging your workplace – without even realizing it! According to the book, “Simple Sabotage: A Modern Manual for Detecting and Rooting Out Everyday Behaviors That Undermine Your Workplace,” there are certain behaviors that often seem innocent but can actually have damaging effects. They can have a negative impact on both productivity and morale.

They include the following:

  • Insisting that things must always be done through the proper channels. Not allowing any short-cuts, even when they make sense.
  • Making a lot of speeches during meetings. Talking at length about your personal experiences and telling long stories about things that have happened to you in the past.
  • Recommending that all decisions be made by large committees of at least five people.
  • Derailing conversations by bringing up irrelevant issues that send everyone off on a tangent.
  • Worrying over every word used in documents and emails. Getting into lengthy debates about why one word should be used instead of another.
  • Bringing up decisions that were already made and indicating that you’d like to discuss these matters further.
  • Always advising your coworkers to be cautious, not to take any chances, and not to be hasty.
  • Waiting until a decision is made, and then suggesting that your group shouldn’t be the one making this decision. Recommending that people with more power in the organization should be involved.

Do you see yourself in this list? If so, you might want to try changing your ways! Even though you’re probably trying to be helpful and follow the rules, these behaviors often make it harder for people to work together and get things accomplished.

 

Duncan, R. D. (2015, December 4). Eight behaviors that sabotage your workplace. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/rodgerdeanduncan/2015/12/04/eight-behaviors-that-sabotage-your-workplace/

Galford, R. M., Frisch, B., & Greene, C. (2015). Simple sabotage: A modern field manual for detecting & rooting out everyday behaviors that undermine your workplace. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher.

 

Ten Interesting Facts About the Workplace

By in Learning Tags: , ,

Hand writing text caption inspiration showing I Love Trivia concept meaning Unimportant Quiz Fun Loving written on sticky note, reminder isolated background with copy space

Here are a few interesting facts about the workplace. Read on, and you’ll be fully prepared for your next trivia night!

  1. People are most likely to take a sick day on Monday – except in Australia, where the most common sick day is Tuesday.
  2. People are least likely to take a sick day on Friday. Fridays in the office tend to be more fun, relaxed, and social.
  3. Employees who have a certain amount of control over the way their workspace is arranged tend to feel healthier and happier while they’re at work. 
  4. If you work 40 hours a week, you’ll most likely work around 90,000 hours during your lifetime.
  5. The average employee spends approximately 50 minutes a day looking for missing documents, emails, and files.
  6. Researchers have found that when people are distracted by incoming emails or phone calls, their IQ drops by 10 points. This is equivalent to what happens when people miss a night of sleep. It’s double the effect of what is experienced by marijuana smokers.
  7. The average American spends over 100 hours commuting to work each year.
  8. Almost 60% of employees check their work email on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  9. Most Americans will hold seven to eight different jobs before they turn 40.
  10. Most rolling office chairs travel about eight miles each year.

Bennett, A. (2017, September 18). Fun facts about working life. OnetoOne. Retrieved from: https://www.onetoonepersonnel.co.uk/view-article.asp?article=8gb9hk3pxz5f4q9

Lehnardt, K. (2018, November 21). 43 interesting working facts. Fact Retriever. Retrieved from: https://www.factretriever.com/working-facts

Tensions at Work

By in Relationship Awareness Tags: , , ,

WorkTension

In almost any industry, there are tensions between groups of people. Creative people often call financial people “bean counters,” and they aren’t being complimentary. Ask nurses what they think about doctors, and you’ll hear stories of arrogance and self-importance. Go to any technology company, and you’ll hear about the sales force — people who will promise anything to get their commission without any idea about how the work will actually get done. Ask an NCO in the military, and you’ll hear about officers fresh out of school who don’t have a clue. People who work in the pharmaceutical industry talk about the conflicts between the marketing people and the people who work in compliance. Sales and marketing folks clash because the sales people are trying to sell through a process of dialogue while the marketing people are focused on the marketing message. Almost every industry has these conflicts.

Universities are no different. Go to any university, and the faculty will complain about the staff and the staff will complain about the faculty. You will hear that the faculty are arrogant and have a sense of entitlement, and that the staff are lazy, incompetent time-wasters.

The truth is that most people are diligent, hard working, conscientious, and honest. Finding fault with a whole group of people in your workplace is easy. It’s harder to figure out ways to work together, appreciate the skills and good will of one another, and complement one another rather than enter into unproductive combat.

Tensions can be healthy if approached the right way. Perhaps the best advice on how to turn unproductive bickering and name calling into productivity is to follow the fifth habit described by Steven Covey in The 7 Habit of Highly Effective People: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

It all boils down to approaching conflict with curiosity and developing seriously good listening skills.

 

Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. New York, NY: Free Press.