These are the 50 gripes for office workers in the North West
Office workers in the North West have revealed their top workplace gripes, including arduous IT issues, colleagues coming in ill, and microwave spillages being left to fester.
A survey of more than 200 office-based staff from North West of England found many loathe the lack of natural light in the workplace, printers getting jammed and colleagues calling in sick – even though they suspect otherwise.
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Hide AdBut a third have been quick to make their feelings known by either leaving a passive-aggressive note or sending an office-wide email.
Cigarette butts scattered outside, people helping themselves to items without permission, shambolic parking are among the top reasons why workers feel compelled to call out their peers.
But while 64 per cent reported their messages were successful in stopping what they deem to be poor office etiquette, for 33 per cent the problems still persisted.
Warding off irritating colleagues
The research was commissioned by The Workplace Depot, who have created a hilarious compilation of passive-aggressive notes and emails to stick up or send around your own office to ward off irritating colleagues.
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Hide AdA spokesperson for the industrial supplies provider said: “Offices can often be a funny old environment when social norms don’t always translate into those four walls where we spend much of our lives.
“And when forced to encounter a multitude of small bothers on an almost daily basis, it is no surprise it drives many to snap.
“The way many choose to express their displeasure is in the quintessentially British form of the painfully polite passive-aggressive note or email.
“Yet, these will always have a serious undertone of hostility, which for the reader – or even worse, the culprit – can be quite alarming. Although, often rather amusing too.”
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Hide AdThe right office conduct
The study also found 44 per cent of the North West’s office workers have confronted a colleague about their poor conduct in the workplace – with 58 per cent of these claiming this intervention caused them to stop.
However, four per cent overstepped the mark and even received disciplinary action following the quarrel.
While 37 per cent have considered leaving their job because of their office bugbears, with more than a tenth (12 per cent) making the leap to a new role.
Unfortunately, the grass wasn’t always greener as 37 per cent claimed their new place of work was about the same or even worse than what they had left behind.
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Hide AdRarely engaging with colleagues ranked as the most common way workers counteract their annoyances.
While 23 per cent put on their headphones and listen to music to avoid irritations, and 29 per cent will just dodge visiting the office as much as possible.
In fact, 42 per cent even admitted they are less productive when they are in the office because of what is winding them up, according to the survey conducted via OnePoll.
The spokesperson for The Workplace Depot added: “It’s clear from these findings many of the UK’s white-collar workers are pretty fed-up with what is going on around them between 9 and 5.
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Hide Ad“But like many things in life, if you don’t address the problem, it will only get worse.
“It is important for these workers to stand up for what they believe is the right conduct for an office – even if that is hiding behind a passive-aggressive note.”
Top 50 gripes for office workers in the North West
- IT issues
- Computers being slow
- When someone calls in sick when you know they aren't ill
- People not cleaning the microwave when their food spills
- People coming into work when ill
- Smelly toilets
- People speaking loudly
- Printers breaking down
- Someone sucking up to the boss
- People who leave dirty dishes in the work sink
- Hardly any natural light
- Computers crashing
- Grubby fingers on shared keyboards/mouse if hot desking
- People who take things from my desk without asking
- Food left in the fridge which is past its use-by date
- Someone cooking smelly food at lunch
- Having to talk to people about their weekends/plans even though you don’t care
- Hotdesking
- Empty milk cartons left in the fridge
- People who have conversations right behind your desk
- Filthy toilets
- The temperature always being too cold
- Someone taking my chair while I am away from my desk
- People who open the windows without checking with people nearby
- The phone ringing constantly
- People not putting a new toilet roll on the holder
- Having to sit in small meeting rooms with lots of people
- People who sing or whistle without realising it
- Lunch dishes left lying around on desks
- People leaving half eaten food in the fridge/kitchen
- People who print reams of paper from the printer
- People who get too close when talking to you
- People putting food in bins right next to your desk
- People who hang up the phone without saying goodbye
- People who send passive aggressive emails to the entire office
- People leaving dirty towels in shared showers
- The temperature always being too hot
- Lights left on in rooms unnecessarily
- People who now refuse to be part of the tea round
- People bragging about how well their work is going
- No recycling bins
- Not being able to wear comfy clothes
- No greenery, like plants
- People ‘spreading out’ their desks onto yours
- No one ever saying thank you
- Fridge being left open
- Having to get into a crowded lift
- Personal belongings left to gather dust on desks
- There never being any parking spaces
- Terrible décor