To ask about your biggest office pet peeves?

[SharronNeedles]

For anyone lucky enough to work in an open plan office or even just share an office with other people, what drives you mad?

My boss has to be one of the most annoying people to share an office with. She is always eating crap, slurping pop, burping and sniffing (you know, the wet sounding kind of sniffs when you have a runny nose) and has recently started wiping her nose on her hands. Literally makes me Bork!!

Anyone else?

the endless rounds of birthday cards and collections

people who bang and type really loudly

people who send endless emails and copy the whole world in

Crazy

I completely agree about babies. When my colleagues have a new arrival, I’m genuinely happy for them, and I wish them well. But no thanks, I don’t want to hold it. Nor do I want to stare at it making cooing noises. I have seen newborn babies before, they all look exactly the same.

When it comes to babies in offices, I’m with the blokes.

and the person with the disgusting smokers cough that sounds like it's coming up from her boots ..boak

Bonnie - that's why I love my boss
Colleague "can I bring in..."
Boss "if it refers to a baby, no"
Colleague "my chihuahua puppy"
Boss "fetch the puppy in immediately"

Cuddly toys and other cutie crap on desks it’s work not a bloody nursery

I'm lucky. I think the people I work with are great. I love my own office and enjoy visiting the other office hubs. No real irritations or issues!

can whoever last had a cigarette last go and put the fire out’ 🔥🔥🔥

Thanks mash I just snorted out my tea in bed!

Seems like those of us who are always cold can't win - on this thread there's been comments about both blankets and heaters being annoying. I can't help it that I'm cold at 21C. I can't help it that women's officewear is thinner than your average tissue. But when I'm wearing thermal leggings, work trousers, thermal vest, blouse and sweater, and still can't feel my fingers or toes, there's not much more I can do than have a blanket or heater under my desk and constantly hug a hot drink.
My annoyances in the open plan office are the two guys that talk louder and louder on the phone to the extent I have had to call someone from my personal mobile so I could go into an unused office and hear them. Also the microwaved fish curry. I shit you not, that smell lingered for 3 fucking days.

My desk is in an odd position and people use it like a shelf for their bags/files etc, even when I'm sitting there;
when it's cold, my colleague comes to work in insufficient clothing, eg flimsy viscose blouses with slits in the sleeve, and then whacks the heating up to sub-tropical. Wear a cardigan, ffs;
people asking me work questions when I'm clearly having my lunch (which I have to eat at my desk because there's no lunch space);
further to this: people asking me what I'm eating, or generally commenting on what I'm eating;
answering the phone and the caller not bothering with an acknowledgement, just saying the name of the person they want to speak to, like you're a voice recognition bot;
people being all hapless when they have to use the photocopier - there's literally three buttons on it, a five year old could work it out;
people walking right up to my desk and starting to talk to me when I'm clearly in the middle of another task;
I could go on. I've become a right grumpy bastard since I started working there. Luckily I'm leaving soon!

I'm starting a new job pretty soon and am looking forward to playing 'bugs the life out of me Bingo'!!

I think loud voices are the hardest to deal with because in my experience they have belonged to the most irritating self-satisfied knobs.

As for toilets - we used to have a phantom poo-er that would leave a present sans toilet paper for the next cubicle visitor. Wtaf on sooo many levels boke

I work in a large open plan office. Pet peeves are the colleagues who walk up to my desk and talk at me, they just stand there gabbing away with no thought of actually going back to their desk and, you know, working. Doesn't matter if I'm talking to someone, have headphones in, am gathering my stuff up and clearly leaving for a meeting. They aren't very good at picking up on the usual social cues so every time I have to ramp up from polite to very blunt, where I get the kicked puppy treatment. This is luckily only 2 colleagues out of a department of 100, but one of them is like Terminator he's so relentless.

Also one woman seems to think as we hot desk it's acceptable to reserve a desk with a spare bag, like some people do with beach towels on sun loungers. It never works as people just move it but she still tries.

Noisy eaters. Why oh why are some grown adults not eat with their mouths closed? Boils my piss!

Also had one girl who thought it was fine to bring her dog in for the day later that yearrr she smuggled the dog into the Christmas party, which was in a nice hotel. The dog was dressed as santa.

Notes on milk cartons. Seen one once threatening police action if anyone stole any. Really, Bob? The effing police!? I put a note on mine 'feel free to use'.

I’m surprised posters are so irritated by actions that have no impact on them like someone else needing to use a hot water bottle or licking a yoghurt pot lid. Just get on with your job

I personally don’t like fridge hoggers who take it over with their weekly shopping so I have to ferret out the milk from underneath their bag for life

Those who are unable to keep their green tea bags in their desk drawers so we have 18 random boxes of teabags on the kitchen worktop and nowhere to put the tea tray

One excellent colleague uses the communal toaster to reheat the previous nights garlic bread

Other people.

The one who hums along to the radio even when the song has finished
Foot tappers (who think they’re in time to the music)
Saying GOOD MORNING seventeen times in case someone gets offended you didn’t say hello to them
If you have a drs appt or feel sick you get the pregnant rumours
Also the other week someone bought in a bouncy ball to bounce on their desk

Don’t think I’m made for the office life

People who can't work out how to "reply" rather than "reply all" to all-office, or even worse, all-company emails.

People in vest tops moaning they are cold but refusing to give up the window seats where the cold air vents are

People using the last of something and not saying anything

People breaking something and not saying anything

Can you tell I'm an office manager? 😂

If you're cold at 21 degrees C in 4 layers including thermals I would be pretty worried there's something wrong.

if you suffer from Misophonia like myself, working in an office can be hellish x

'I know I'm going to get some hate for this, but since you asked: women bringing their babies into the office and expecting every single woman in the room (but none of the men) to down tools and start cooing and demanding a 'little hold'

I actually love you for this. I feel exactly the same. Keep your babies out of the office. Arrange a meet up some other time for colleagues who wish to get involved. Leave the rest of us alone

I'm a misophonia sufferer too so I agree with every other noise based complaint on this thread

People using the last of something and not saying anything
^^
This & then being surprised that I haven’t reordered whatever it is. If anyone knows where I can get a crystal ball...

Also taking something out of the stock cupboard and leaving the empty box/wrapper.

Generally messing up the stock cupboard to the point that I’ve refused to ever tidy it again!

Constantly sighing

Borrowing staplers, hole punches etc & not returning them

My boss who walks up to my desk from behind me and either pokes me in the back or put his hand on my shoulder and finds it funny when he scares the fuck out of me. I should have just punched him in the face the first time he did it.