Scottish office workers have revealed their main problems at work, including loud conversations, sick colleagues and a lack of natural light.
A survey of more than 150 office workers found that many disgusting spills in the microwave were left to rot, colleagues invaded personal space and computers ran at a snail’s pace.
But almost a third (31%) were quick to share their feelings by leaving a passive-aggressive note or sending an office-wide email.
Cigarette butts strewn outside, the mess left in restrooms and the state of communal dining rooms are the main reasons workers feel compelled to call their peers.
But while 38% said their messages succeeded in ending what they considered poor office etiquette, for 58% the problems persisted.
Keep irritating colleagues away
A spokesperson for the industrial supplies supplier said: “Offices can often be a fun old environment when social norms don’t always translate to those four walls where we spend so much of our lives.
“And when you’re forced to encounter a multitude of little annoyances almost on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that it drives many to the breaking point.
“The way many choose to express their displeasure is in the form of a painfully polite passive-aggressive note or email.
“Yet these will always have a serious undertone of hostility, which for the reader – or worse yet, the culprit – can be quite alarming. Although often rather amusing too.
Good behavior in the office
The study also found that 32% of Scottish office workers have confronted a colleague about their misbehavior at work – with 47% saying the intervention caused them to quit.
However, four percent went over the limit and even received disciplinary action as a result of the feud.
Getting the job done quickly so they can leave sooner is the most common way for workers to counter their annoyances.
While 21% put on their headphones and listen to music to avoid irritation, and 22% avoid going to the office as much as possible.
In fact, 38% even admitted that they are less productive when they are in the office because of what annoys them, according to the survey conducted via OnePoll.
The Workplace Depot spokesperson added: ‘It is clear from these findings that many Scottish white collar workers are fed up with what is happening around them between 9am and 5pm.
“But like many things in life, if you don’t fix the problem, it will only get worse.
“It’s important that these workers stand up for what they think is good office conduct – even if it’s behind a passive-aggressive note.”
Top 50 complaints about office workers in Scotland
- People who have conversations right behind your desk
- People who come to work when they are sick
- Little natural light
- People don’t clean the microwave when their food spills
- People who get too close when talking to you
- Computer problems
- computers being slow
- people talk loud
- Not being able to listen to music
- Computers crash
- Not being able to wear comfortable clothes
- When someone calls in sick when you know they’re not sick
- Having to sit in small meeting rooms with lots of people
- Having to talk to people about their weekends/plans even if you don’t care
- There are never any parking spaces
- Not being able to have daytime TV running in the background
- smelly toilet
- Somebody suck the boss
- People “extend” their desktop onto yours
- The temperature is always too cold
- People don’t put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder
- No recycling bins
- No one ever says thank you
- Noisy hand dryers that go off every few seconds
- People who leave dirty dishes in the work sink
- People who take things from my desk without asking
- Someone is cooking smelly food for lunch
- Hotdesking
- Dirty toilets
- The phone rings constantly
- Somebody take my chair while I’m away from my desk
- People printing reams of paper from printer
- People who hang up the phone without saying goodbye
- Refrigerator left open
- Personal effects left to gather dust on desks
- Empty milk cartons left in the fridge
- People leaving dirty towels in communal showers
- No greenery, such as plants
- Horrible decor
- People leaving passive aggressive notes
- Failed printers
- People who open windows without checking with people nearby
- Lunch dishes left on desks
- Dirty fingers on shared keyboards/mouse in case of shared desktop
- People leaving half-eaten food in the fridge/kitchen
- People put food in trash cans right next to your office
- People who send passive aggressive emails to the whole office
- The temperature is always too hot
- People who now refuse to be part of the tea tour
- Having to ride in a crowded elevator