7 Annoying Office Habits Everyone Should Avoid

image credit: http://www.officepolitics.com

Working in a professional office space can be inspiring, fun and offer a social aspect to your job. It makes you feel like a team and sets apart your home and work life. However, sharing an office space with others for most of your life may leave you vulnerable to their annoying habits that you cannot escape. Here are top 20 irritating office habits that drive us all a bit crazy:

1.    Persistent Lateness
“I was stuck in traffic!” “My dog was sick.” “I woke up late!” How many of us hear these excuses every day at office? You had a meeting at 9 am, but arrived around 9.45 am. For goodness sake, turn up on time like everyone else, who manage it with their own lives and problems.

2.    Keyboard Smashing
Typing on keyboards makes noise and it is so common for office workers. But this apart from people who hammer away at their keyboard as hard as possible. Guys, there is no competition for hitting hard at keyboards and you won’t be paid extra for this. So give it a rest and type normally for the sake of everyone else in the office.

3.    Borrowing Things But Not Returning Them Back
How often we borrow things from our colleagues but forget to return them back on time. Sometimes people even attempt to steal them or carelessly misplace them somewhere else. Remember, borrowing things from others is not bad but failing to return them will create a bad impression among your peers.

4.    Office Politics
Gossip is fun, interesting and might be a way to bond with your colleagues. But at times, it can slip into arguments, bullying and rumours. Stay out of other people’s problems. Be sympathetic but never say something that wouldn’t want to be quoted on. If you have any problem with your fellow workers, talk directly to your manager.

5.    Smelly Food
Most of us like eating lunch at our desks, which is quite depressing in the first place. But what’s more annoying is the fact when your colleagues bring in the smelliest food that just stink out the office space. It’s important that you take responsibility to look out for your colleagues and leave the stinky food at home.

6.    Unsolicited Humming
Sitting next to an aspiring Indian Idol is not amusing. No matter how cool your colleague sings, it distracts you from your work. There are some great headphones available in the market and the best part is they are surprisingly affordable.

7.    Personal Space Problems
It’s a fact – some people are less friendly than others in the office. No one knows the right protocol with standing closely, hugs or pats on the back. It all depends on the office environment and the people you work with. If you are friendly, just recognize and stop it if people are uncomfortable with your proximity. If you don’t like anyone’s behaviour, then be polite but don’t scare them off by yelling at them. The longer you work with someone, the more you understand what’s acceptable or not.

Is there anything that sounds similar happening in your office? The quicker we accept them, we can find a solution for a better working life. Connect today at Avanta India, where employees treat each other like a family. There are some interesting policies that we follow and try to create a better workplace attitude.