How that annoying co-worker is actually bad for your health...
Too loud on the phone? Smelly lunch? Some colleagues just don't know how irritating they are, writes John Costello
The IT crowd
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You can choose your friends, but sadly not your work colleagues. So it should come as no surprise that many of us see the office as a minefield of annoying misfits, according to a new study.
From those who shout down the phone or never offer to make tea or coffee, to those who stink out the office with their smelly food, the modern workplace is plagued by the antics of irritating co-workers, according to a report by Samsung Electronics.
Indeed, while pernickety printers and erratic email can have us climbing the walls, and slow IT systems drive 68% of employees bonkers, it is our co-workers that truly drive us insane. In fact, their bad habits make up six out of the top 10 office bugbears.
"Annoying colleagues can become more of a problem nowadays because of the prevalence of open-plan offices," says Colm Ward, a human resources expert and founder of Concise HR.
"In my own experience, those that are excessively loud on the phone can be one of the main problems when it comes to irritating their co-workers. Amazingly, these people don't even seem to mind having their own personal and private conversations heard by the entire office."
Indeed, the extra noise and a lack of personal space in an open-plan working environment can lead to "shocking" effects on our physical and mental health, and make us less productive, according to research carried out in Australia.
This not only leads to higher levels of stress and elevated blood pressure, but also increases the potential for conflict, according to Dr Vinesh Oommen of Queensland University, who conducted the study.
He also believes workers in open-plan offices are plagued by insecurity, ever conscious of their colleagues' ability to see what they are doing on their computer and eavesdrop on their phone calls.
His research found that high noise levels not only impaired concentration, but also led to a higher incidence of workplace conflict, with people sitting so close to their colleagues that ring tones and loud conversations can easily heighten tensions.
"No matter where people work they do need a bit of thinking space," says Ward. "It can be very frustrating to have someone constantly going blah, blah, blah around you. So people need a space to be able to get away from that."
However, even if you find some peace and quiet, annoying co-workers can attack your senses on many different levels, including your sense of smell.
With 27% of us eating breakfast at our desks, 62pc choosing to chow down on our lunch there and 50pc grazing on snacks throughout the day while sitting in front of our PC, random food smells can add a sour note to the working day.
"The smells coming from canteens and desk areas can definitely provide annoyance," says Ward.
"Also, with an increasing number of non-nationals in the workforce over the last number of years, a lot of their cuisine is amazing but for some the smell can be a little bit over-the-top."
However, there is one dreaded office smell that still sends shivers down every workers spine -- body odour.
"Something as sensitive as body odour can be a real problem to deal with," says psychologist Dr Elaine Ryan.
Indeed, it is obviously a lot easier to tell a noisy colleague to shut up than it is to tell someone to go take a shower.
"With such a sensitive issue it would most likely be best to speak to your manager to discuss how the problem should be approached in a fair and sensitive manner," says Dr Ryan.
"Someone might not be aware of it and there are certain medical conditions where body odour is nothing to do with the levels of hygiene."
Overall, however, if Carl is clipping his nails in the canteen or Suzy is once again slurping her tea at her desk, the advice from the experts is to nip the situation in the bud as soon as possible before it escalates and truly sends you around the bend.
"The sooner you address an issue you have with a co-worker, the more likely you are to be willing to work with the other person to resolve the issue," says Johanna Rothman, author of Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management. "The longer the issue exists, the more you tend to be resentful of it."
So, it is recommended that the annoying colleague in question is approached and gently told how the affects of their behaviour impacts on their co-workers.
And -- because the chances of finding a new job in this current economy are bleak -- if this doesn't help you find inner peace, find a new desk.
- John Costello
Irish Independent
