OfficePro (2011) suggests that those
annoying co-workers are no laughing matter.
New data has shown they actually can hurt productivity. Three-quarters of working adults reported
job-related stress, according to a survey by Everest College. Furthermore, annoying co-workers was at the
top of the list. (OfficePro, 2011). Although different blogs, news articles, or
personal experience has some differences on the most annoying co-worker, three
articles I previewed share some common annoyances.
Top annoyances in workplace
“The know-it-all.” The person who has a personal opinion or
knows something about everything.
“The loud
talker/exploder.” This person shares
entire conversations in a very loud voice for the entire workplace to
“enjoy.” They often detonate at a moment’s
notice and then shout.
“The
blabbermouth/talk your ear off.” This
person carries on a conversation that has nothing to do with the subject matter
at hand, and seems to talk to people on a deadline.
Michelle (n.d.)
discusses a book about emotional traps at work.
The authors of “Working with you is killing me: Freeing yourself from
emotional traps at work,” suggests four ways to escape these emotional traps. The four steps include unhooking physically,
mentally, verbally, and with business tools.
Physically, you can take deep breaths or go for a walk. Mentally, dissect the issue and come up with
solutions that will fix the issue. An
example, would be asking to move to a different cubicle away from the annoying
co-worker. Verbally, you can find the
words to protect yourself or escape the workplace trap, such as, “You have a
powerful voice that really carries. Can
you speak at a lower volume?” Finally,
use the tools in place such as contracts, performance reviews, and et.al. to
track events and measure performance.
Personal experience
My department has
five guys and one gal (me), and one of the guys is very LOUD. He has a naturally loud voice at normal
conversation level, but when he wants to make a point, his voice brings the
walls down. There are hallways, walls, and
two conference rooms that separate my department from human resources and they can hear him when he is making a
point with a person on the other end of the phone. There are many occasions that someone else in
the department is trying to talk on the phone but can barely hear because of
this co-worker’s loud voice.
Additionally, this co-worker is the supervisor of my department, and he
loves to use the speakerphone.
According to OfficePro (2011), you should use a
straightforward approach with the annoying loud talker. Using your best manners, you should simply
inform that person that their loud talking is making it tough to work. Green (2011), similarly says when dealing
with the “speakerphone lover,” just be straightforward. Say something such as, “Hey Matthew, would
you mind taking your phone off speaker?
It makes it hard to concentrate.”
Now if you have the speakerphone/loud voice going at the same time,
Matthew may not hear you ask the question.
You may have to endure the annoyance for that call, but then approach
him or her after the phone call is over.
Being
straightforward in both scenarios is the best approach. I have mentioned to my co-worker that I have
a hard time hearing when he is loud and
on the speakerphone. My cubicle and his
cubicle are back-to-back. Co-workers in
other departments have asked him to “tone” it down because they can hear him
across the business suite.
In October, I
transferred from one department to my current department. In my former department, I had a co-worker
who was hired two weeks after I was hired, and we became friends. However, he is a “know-it-all.” Do not dare start a conversation that he has
any knowledge because he will dominate that conversation with all his
knowledge. It drove me crazy and it
drives that department crazy. He also
has a solution to every problem brought up for discussion, but most of his
solutions are impractical. Green (2011)
suggests that you just let those conversations roll off your back and ignore
that co-worker. OfficePro (2011) also recommends ignoring that co-worker and not
feed his or her ego. I agree with both
authors. I have practiced just stepping
out of the conversation and returning to my cubicle.
In conclusion,
deal with annoying co-workers by being straightforward and assertive. Green (2011) says to not get angry, or
hostile, but just be direct. This can be
difficult for some co-workers, especially those who avoid conflict, but Green says
it is important to know that it is okay to speak up for yourself in a
matter-of-fact, professional way. If
that fails, just be glad these people are not in your family.
References
5 Things That Annoy Your Co-workers.
(2011). OfficePro, 71(4), 10.
Green,
A. (2011). How to deal with annoying
co-workers. USA News.com.
Retrieved from http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/06/06/how-to-deal-with-annoying-co-workers
Kreps,
G.L. (2011). Communication in
Organizations. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Michelle, A. (n.d). How to work with annoying people. USA Today. 
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