5 things that really tick off your co-workers

Taking someone else's food from the office refrigerator makes your co-workers mad. Real mad.

In fact, an informal online survey on TheLadders.com found that 97.8 percent of respondents on its site rated fridge raiders as the absolute worst breachers of office etiquette.

I know that riles people in my workplace -- almost as much as dealing with the forgotten, reeking food left to spoil. (Somebody in our newsroom recently took up a collection to pay someone to clean out the foul fridge. That's how bad it was.)

Speaking of foul odors: Co-workers with bad personal hygiene were mentioned almost as often on the online list of shame. More than 95 percent of the survey respondents were bothered most by illkempt, and presumably smelly, co-workers. Based on calls I get from readers, that could mean too much perfume as well as too little deodorant.

No. 3 on the offensive list: A rather unspecific "bad habits." I know a co-worker who was driven crazy by a colleague's incessant foot-tapping throughout the day. Another co-worker was driven to distraction by people who let their cell phone ring tones play in the office. My own hall of shame is people who put on their head phones, lean back in the chairs and broadcast their conversations loudly throughout the room.

No. 4: Drinking on the job. Hmmm. Must be lots of different workplaces out there, given that 85.7 percent of the survey respondents chose that to mention. Where I work, bringing alcohol on site is grounds for dismissal, so we don't get much opportunity to study drunk co-workers (at least at work!). Kind of a scary thought, though to realize the dangers and damages possible when workers drink on the job. I'd call that a safety issue more than an etiquette concern.

No. 5: Wastefulness with paper. Hey, we're developing a green conscience! 82 percent mentioned it on the online survey. It's food for recycling thought...and an indicator that the paperless society still is a ways off.

Some other pet peeves that emerged in the survey included cooking smelly food in the office microwave (Smelly might be in the nose of the sniffer; is popcorn smelly?) and messing with a Blackberry, etc., during a meeting (How about any cell phone texting?).

Here's a big complaint in our office: Co-workers who drain the coffee pot and fail to start another.

What's on your list of offensive co-worker behavior?

Comments

[bencutloose]

Also ticks off slackers (some co-workers) if you give the company a full day every day.

[Morpheus]

People who conduct conversations over speakerphone; especially since everyone has headsets.

[SC]

Flips flops, walking hard, and popping gum. I cannot believe people who call themselves professionals carry on like this.

[Quad Kings]

Want to dissuade the refrigerator thieves? lace a tasty something with strong laxative and leave it in the fridge. Repeat until they stop.