Colleagues Who Are Most Irritating: Smelly Ones, Rude Ones, Disrespectful Ones…

A good working atmosphere is one of the main prerequisites for job satisfaction, but what if irritating colleagues spoil that atmosphere? In a survey conducted with over 500 respondents, the portal MojPosao investigated which habits of colleagues at work irritate us the most.

The majority of respondents, 26%, are most irritated by poor hygiene habits of colleagues, highlighting bad breath, an untidy restroom, and leaving crumbs on the table. However, unpleasant odors are by far the most irritating.

-I don’t like colleagues who smell right at the beginning of the shift- says one respondent, while another concludes: -The stench drives people away and isolates the smelly one.-

Equally irritating are inappropriate comments and/or vulgar language, emphasizes 25% of respondents, particularly highlighting gossip, meddling in private lives, and unfounded provocation.

-I don’t like uncultured, uneducated, and arrogant colleagues. The more rude they are, the more primitive they tend to be- says one respondent, while another is bothered by receiving comments on everything they do, ‘how they do it and why they do it’.

18% of respondents consider interruptions at work to be irritating, with the most irritating being ‘talkers who don’t even think they are bothering you’ and ‘colleagues who have no work and want to socialize’.

-Unnecessary rhetorical questions always raise blood pressure and break concentration- emphasizes one respondent, while another adds: -While I am performing several tasks at once, which requires concentration, my colleague is asking me about data he should have learned months ago.-

Loud talking on the phone is equally irritating (18%), which, as one respondent says, ‘was terrible even before the advent of mobile phones, and now it is unbearable’.

-I can’t concentrate when my colleague is hysterically yelling into the receiver- says one respondent, while another is bothered by ‘private conversations that last half an hour’. ‘Talking about the same thing in twenty different ways, pouring from empty to empty, and doing that all day long’ is an irritating habit of one respondent’s colleague.

Constant smacking and snacking annoy 8% of respondents, and alongside that, respondents also categorize ‘slobbering’ and ‘constant coughing’ as irritating.

Respondents are equally irritated by loud music (3%), while 2% of respondents highlighted excessive use of perfume as an irritating habit.

-Perfumes trigger allergies in my mind- says one respondent who believes that ‘the best scent is to smell natural’, while one female respondent advises: -Perfume is for evening outings; during the day, a deodorant in moderation is sufficient. If I wanted to work in a perfume shop, I would have sought a job there.-