The most irritating office behaviours in the UK (UK-wide survey results)

Ever had a colleague with working habits that rub you up the wrong way?

We've carried out a UK wide survey to find out which behaviours displayed by workers in offices across the nation really grind people’s gears? The results from 2,005 survey recipients are in, with revealing results:

Number 1: ‘The blame dodger’

The clear winner, with 17% of the vote, is: ‘The blame dodger’. This person will make a mistake and do everything in their power to deflect the blame. “Someone told me to do it” or “Well, you need to be clearer in how you communicate to me”. The nation are sick of it, ‘blame dodger’, it’s time to tidy up your act. Blame dodgers are particularly irritating to people from the West Midlands and Wales.

Number 2: Lateness

Turning up to work 30 minutes after everyone else, coming back from lunch late and still leaving on time at the end of the day – those who display this behaviour are second on the top ten list of most irritating office behaviours in the UK, with 15% of the vote. Lateness is particularly irritating to 55-64 year olds in the East of England.

Number 3: People who stick their nose into every discussion

Ever start a conversation with a colleague only for someone to stick their nose in and offer their own opinion on the matter, when their participation is not required? Annoying, right? With 14% of the vote the nation certainly thinks so – predominantly 18-24 year olds from Scotland. If you’re an office worker north of the border in particular, it’s time to check yourself for ‘sticking your nose in syndrome’ and do something about it pronto to stop irritating your colleagues.

Number 4: Power tripping

The power tripper enjoys shouting orders and avoiding talking to people like respected colleagues. They may even try to impose authority in a manner that wouldn't look out of place in an army barracks. Unsurprisingly, ‘power tripping’ makes the top five of the most irritating office habits, with 12% of the vote. 25-34 year olds working in the East Midlands are particularly scathing of the power tripping mentality.

Number 5: Poor listening

This is a behaviour whereby the person you’re talking to acts like they’re listening, letting you get all the way to the end of your sentence, only to say “sorry, what was that?” With 10% of the vote, poor listening irritates people from Scotland and Yorkshire and The Humber the most, meaning it’s time for workers in those regions to listen up and take note.

Number 6 (joint sixth): People playing music too loudly

Ever sat next to someone who feels the need to have music bellowing out through their headphones at eardrum-bursting levels? Annoying, right? With 9% of the vote, 18-24 year olds and people over 65 from the North East find this behaviour the most irritating.

Number 6 (joint sixth): Dominating all meetings

The behaviour of those who make every meeting about them, never letting anyone else get a word in edgeways is joint sixth in our top ten list. Women more so than men find this behaviour irritating, bringing the phrase ‘two ears, one mouth’ sharply into focus. Meeting dominators take note.

Number 8: Stealing other people’s food

No matter how many times people label their food in the work fridge as “MINE, DO NOT TOUCH… DEATH PENALTY APPLIES”, food stealing is still a prevalent behaviour in offices across the nation. With 7% of the vote, food stealing is particularly frowned upon by 25-34 year olds from the West Midlands.

Number 9: Corporate laughing

Nothing that the boss says is that funny. The corporate laugh is a false cackle, often used by people looking to climb the hierarchical ladder. An over the top laugh that grates on many – corporate laughing comes in at number nine on our list, with 4% of the vote.

Number 10: People having dirty desks

Bringing up the rear, with 3% of the votes, desks are meant to be for work, but not for the culprit of the dirty desk. Plates, dishes and the remnants of last week’s lunch are piled high – a mouldy ‘delight’ for everyone else to put up with!

There we have it, the top ten most irritating office behaviours in the UK. Would you add any others to the list? We’d love to hear from you, so feel free to send your tweets to @Flexioffices on Twitter and we’ll retweet our favourites.