Top office pet peeves

WORKPLACE CONFLICTS

Singapore – Employees in Singapore get very annoyed with co-workers who do not take ownership for their actions.

A survey of nearly 1,000 professionals in Singapore by professional social network LinkedIn found that locals have three top office pet peeves. While colleagues’ lack of ownership is the top factor that would drive Singaporeans up the wall, dirty communal areas and “constant complainers” get on their nerves as well.

Nearly three quarters of hiring managers in Singapore are also peeved by people “showing up late for meetings”.

Male and female professionals have some slight differences on what annoys them most. Some 57% of Singaporean women were bothered by “clothing that's too revealing for the workplace”. However, only 29% of men took offence to that.

Globally, 78% of over 17,000 professionals surveyed all have the same issue as Singaporeans. They are annoyed by co-workers who lack accountability.

Yet different cultures have been found to have varying peeves. In Asia, Indians react more negatively to irritating mobile phone ringtones while Japanese hate office pranks more than others.

Americans get more irritated by co-workers taking others’ food from the office refrigerator than other nationalities. Brazilians dislike excessive gossiping most out of any national group. The Swedish are the most tolerant of what others wear in the workplace.

Surprisingly, the city-state is the second most peeved country out of 16 countries surveyed. India has the highest number of annoyed employees while Italy has the fewest.

According to Chan Ngee Key, career coach and strategist at consulting firm YourOwn360, seemingly harmless workplace habits can result in unnecessary conflicts. “Most of these can be easily resolved,” Chan said.

Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director, told Forbes that sometimes the most irritating office offenders are not even aware that their behaviour impacts the rest of their team.

She added that the lack of self-awareness can be a “career killer”, especially for young employees. “It is crucial for you to solve the annoyance before it disrupts your work performance and career.”

For example, taking ownership is about doing a task well and also ensuring the entire team works collaboratively.

Chan said, “Always put yourself in the shoes of your co-workers to recognise how changing some habits will help create a more favourable impression of you in the workplace.”

Williams added that employees should learn to be receptive and eager in taking feedback on their behaviour. “Say ‘Thank you’ because if you don’t address the behaviour, they’ll know you can’t take criticism and won’t want to develop you in the future.”

Other countries surveyed include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the UK.

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