Monday, September 10, 2007

Ten ways to lose friends and alienate coworkers

Here's a list from "Yahoo! HotJobs."

I don't have to really worry too much about these since I work by myself at the Undisclosed Location, but I was unnerved (as I reported in my July 30 post) about reports of a 'new workplace etiquette', so I wanted to see if these latest suggestions made any sense.

Having carefully reviewed them now, I believe that, yes, these will push colleagues right off the edge. Some examples:
1. Eat stinky snacks.

2. Make endless meeting requests. (Your colleagues need time to blog, too, you know....)

3. "Reply to All" all the time.(Yes, please: We all need to know that you got the same memo we did about the unnecessary meeting at 8:30. Thank you.)
And one of my favorites:
7. "Borrow" magazines or newspapers.
This is particularly offensive if you "borrow" it before your colleague has had a chance to read it yet -- particularly if you make it abundantly clear that you and your colleague's magazine are going to the 'library' or heading off for some 'private time' -- if you know what I mean.

Interestingly, backstabbing and glory-hogging did not make this list. Presumably because people who engage in this sort of conduct would have no friends to lose.

9 comments:

SQT said...

"Being the office boozehound" sounds fun.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

this is a true story... the names are not changes cause i don't give the names.

when i worked at the law firm i always got in first cause i am an early bird and i like to leave early and we could do so if we wanted. i would bring my newspaper from home to read at lunch. this attorney would pop in my office every morning and snag my paper and take it to the men's room with him and then bring it back and plop it on my desk. every day. if i hid it he would ask for it. i got so disgusted with him i stopped the paper. i never got to read it cause i could not touch it after he took it in "there" with him and i had to clean my desk every day after he left it. ewwwwwww.....

smiles, bee

tyvc

sari said...

I used to work with a man who would blow his nose so hard and loudly that it sounded like he was cleaning out the insides of his toes every day.

It's been almost six years since I've worked there and I'm still grossed out.

TroyBoy said...

Folks in my office (yes, more than one) tend to be hygenically challenged. And, to make matters worse, our windows do not open. The joys of South Florida summers indeed.

Nikki Neurotic said...

I think I'm safe.

Lahdeedah said...

One thing that drove me nuts...

Hairy toes.

Yes.

Hairy hobbit toes.
I worked at a place where the dress code was so casual dress could almost be considered 'optional.'

So the guys were free to wear big open toed sandals. Which would be fine.

If they didn't have such big, hairy, smelly toes.

Seriously. I am still not sure which grosses me out more, the smell or the sight of the hairy toes.

I am okay with shorts and hairy legs. I am okay with short sleeved shirts and hairy arms.

But please

Cover the hairy toes. ESPECIALLY if they stink.

Amanda said...

I used to share a cubicle with this guy who never dried his clothes in a dryer or in the sun. He must have just let them dry in his living room because they always had that awful damp smell.

Ralph said...

How stinky is too stinky? At least for cheese, I'd start with Gorgonzola, graduate to Emmenthaler, then Feta, finally to Limburger (I'd let people 'borrow' the latter, never to to be returned)

Shelby said...

oh I miss work.