10 Most Annoying Work Colleague Traits: Part 1

The great philosopher Mario Ballotelli, once asked the world, “why always me?”

And if you are stuck with a colleague who is more annoying than one of those vacuous morons from TOWIE, then you will probably be asking yourself the same question.

You’re not alone though.  In a recent survey of 1,000 office workers, 38% of people admitted to complaining to bosses about the person sitting next to them or had in fact confronted the annoying colleague themselves.

Just like your family, you can’t choose your work colleagues.  You have to be polite and laugh at their insufferable jokes and listen intently as they recap yet another fascinating yarn about their weekend of re-enacting the battle of  Hastings, and this time they dressed up as a Saxon don’t you know?

We’ve all come across a work colleague who drives us to despair from time to time, in fact you might have one sitting next to you right now.  So what little idiosyncrasy or foible is it that makes you want to hit them with the desk lamp?

I’ve categorised the 10 most annoying traits you will find in a work colleague over 2 parts.  The first 5 are below and the second 5 can be found in a link below.  And if you can’t recognise anybody from the 10, the cruel truth maybe that you yourself are one of those annoying work colleagues, but no-one has told you!

Let’s start with one of the least popular people in the office:-

Annoying Work Colleague - 1. The Grinch

This is the person who can bring the mood of an office down with one quick sound bite of scorn and misery.   They see the negative in just about everything in life.  They see the hole instead of the doughnut, the cloud instead of the silver lining.

Their pessimism can rapidly drain the energy from the room.  As a manager you should be aware that the Grinch is often the person who will moan about the smallest thing in order to avoid tackling any work.

Annoying Work Colleague - 2. The Skunk

It’s a conversation that goes on in offices all around the planet.  Just how do you tell your work colleague that they pong a bit or that they have breath that would strip paint?  Your trapped in a small, poorly ventilated space with this person for 8 or 9 hours a day and their failure to bathe or brush their teeth is having a negative effect on your working day.

So how can you tell someone at work that their odour is offensive?  If you are brave enough, there are a number of steps you can take to try and break it to the offender gently.  Firstly, find a quiet space to discuss the issue.  Secondly, try and use neutral, impersonal language that outlines the impact their soap dodging is having on the rest of the office (try not to use the term soap dodging though).

And lastly, try using the power-phrase, “I’m telling you because it’s important for you to know”.  Maybe set up a follow-up discussion to tell them how they are doing.  Alternatively, if you are not so brave, you can send them an anonymous email from http://www.stenchinformer.com.

Annoying Work Colleague - 3. The Cheapskate

The Cheapskate is easily identified as the person who always opens the door at the pub to let everybody get to the bar before them or the tightwad who will sponsor you at 5p a mile for the London Marathon.

The Cheapskate can also be easily recognised by the fact they are still wearing a shirt from their school days that they swore used to be white, and the kind of trousers that Michael Jackson used to wear to moonwalk.

Annoying Work Colleague - 4. The Wanderer

Whenever I move to a new job, I’m always quick to instil in my new colleagues that because I spend the majority of my day writing, I don’t really appreciate being disturbed on an adhoc basis.

This is because there are those individuals in every office that like to wander around for a little chat, oblivious to the fact that you have a deadline to meet.  They like to share every little intricacy of their lives with anybody who will listen.  Do I really care that you went to a craft fair at the weekend and finally found that cantaloupe twine to finish off your apple shaped tea cosy?

Apart from their boring hobbies, the Wanderer either has a work load that is too light or an attention span of a goldfish and that is why they fill their working day with inane chatter.

Annoying Work Colleague - 5. The Parasite

This is the colleague who will think nothing of plagiarising a great idea you have and then claiming it as their own to gain an advantage.

If you recognise a parasite amongst your team, be careful not to share any ideas with them.  Before you know it, they will have registered the URL and scuttled off to share their incredible ideas with the boss.  They are usually the most sycophantic of individuals and about as popular with their fellow colleagues as a British contestant at Eurovision.

Annoying Work Colleague - Summary

Thanks for reading.  You may have spotted a work colleague amongst the descriptions above.  If you didn’t, then read the 2nd part of the 10 most annoying work colleague traits which also reveals the results of a poll on the top 10 UK office annoyances and is accessible with a simple click below.