Sharing an office is a bit like having roommates. You share a kitchen, bathrooms,
break rooms, and sometimes a cubicle for most of your waking hours. It’s not
surprising, then, that your co-workers can grate a nerve like no other. Keyboard
pounding, personal phone calls, and smelly lunches can have you pulling your hair
out. But living and working in harmony is essential to productivity, so take a deep
breath and take heart knowing that some people have it worse than you.
Pig Pen
“I have a co-worker who doesn’t bathe nor wash her clothes and subsequently
smells. I bought a bottle of Febreeze, which I frequently spray on the fabric-covered
chairs and carpet. She also drinks beverages and regularly spills or leaves coffee
rings on the console or computer and doesn’t bother to clean it up; so I also bought a
bottle of Windex cleaner and brought in rags to clean up the messes before I do my
shift. In addition, she throws away her used tissues and often misses the garbage
can, leaving them on the floor for “whomever” to pick them up. She NEVER misses
work, so whenever she is sick, she coughs all over the microphone, uses the
computer mouse and presses the buttons with her germy hands; so I bought a
container of Antiseptic wipes to wipe down the console and mics to try to prevent
illness. Her office should be condemned.”
Polly Want a Cracker?
“A few years ago I worked as a career counselor. A couple of offices down from me
our ‘quirky’ Admin Assistant often had something strange going on in her office. One
day, I heard something that sounded like chirping. We later discovered that she had
rescued a bird from the Walmart parking lot, brought it to work, stored it in the
drawer of her desk, and was feeding it dog food.”
Nailed It
“The nail clipping. Yes, nail clipping. I don’t know if he had some sort of compulsion,
or the fastest growing fingernails known to humankind, but everyday I would hear
the inevitable *clip* *clip* *clip.* On a good day, clippings wouldn’t fly onto my desk
or into my hair. On a bad day…well…”
Good Morning America
“I work with a woman who sings ‘America the Beautiful’ every morning before we
open. Every. Morning. On a loop. I used to go in early, but now I show up exactly
when required to avoid having to be around her any longer than absolutely
necessary.”
How do you deal with these behaviors? Address them head-on, suggests Nicole
Williams, LinkedIn’s Connection Director. “In nearly every office there’s at least one
co-worker whose quirks drive colleagues up the cubicle wall,” she said in an
interview with Forbes. “Sometimes the most irritating office offenders don’t even
realize their behavior impacts the rest of their team. It is crucial for you to solve the
annoyance before it disrupts your work performance and career.”
Contact HKM
The lawyers at HKM Employment Attorneys can’t fix your co-worker’s faux pas, but
they are ready to tackle any of your legal needs. Contact an attorney today.
