Dirty desks and smelly lunches top list of office annoyances

Working nine to five and spending the majority of our time in the workplace, it is easy to see why some colleagues may rub each other up the wrong way.

Workers have revealed their top ten bugbears when it comes to office annoyances, with dirty desks, coughing and sneezing and lunch thieves proving to be the worst.

“We’ve all shared an office space with an annoying colleague. Whether they’re constantly bringing in lunches that stink the office out, let their belongings trail on to your desk or are constantly tapping away on their mobile phones,” said Chris Meredith, of LondonOffices.com, who compiled the list.

“One of the most important rules of office life is to just be aware of what you are doing around the workplace and think about how your behaviour may impact your friends and co-workers.”

Here is Londonoffices.com’s list of the top ten office annoyances:

1. Unattractive smells

2. Dirty desks

3. Over-talking

4. Distracting colleagues

5. Tea and coffee rounds

6. Time-keeping

7. Coughing and sneezing

8. Personal phone calls

9. Respecting boundaries

10. Lunch thieves

Meredith added: “There are huge numbers of unspoken agreements that all employees should stick to if they want to get through the working day without angering colleagues, and it could feel like you’re treading on egg shells so as not to upset anybody.

“Yet if you simply avoid these ten office annoyances, you’ll be well on your way to ensuring your presence has a positive impact on the office dynamic, instead of stepping on people’s toes.”

Image source: Shutterstock