Office Workers No Employer Wants

To make sure that the office is a place where productivity thrives, it’s important to avoid traits and habits that annoy your fellow co-workers. There are certain types of people that can upset the fine balance in the workplace and become a source of irritation to others. While we all have a right to express ourselves in our own individual way, there are certain office workers that no employer wants.

This article looks at the 3 most annoying habits that some employees have and how you can deal with them. Also, recognising what can annoy others can help you avoid becoming an employee that no employer wants.

The Noisy Employee

Some employees don’t really get how much noise they are making and how it affects others. In many cases, this lack of consideration for others can be a source of irritation for others around them.

It could be that some office workers bang drawers shut, talk in a loud voice on the telephone, or tap their pencil all the time.

So, what can you do if you have a noisy employee in your office?

Solution to the noisy employee:

It can be difficult to address issues caused by a noisy employee without causing offence. Some ways to address the issue could include:

• Bringing up the issue of office etiquette in a meeting – but without singling any one person out.
• Explaining why you need some quiet time, like having deadlines to meet or talking on the phone.
• Consider using headphone if management approves their use.

The Nosy Employee

Just by removing the letter “i” from noisy, we get a completely different type of employee that no office environment needs – the nosy employee.

The nosy employee often crosses the line from showing interest to your needs and problems and prying into your private life. A nosy employee could also be the type of person that gives you advice when you don’t need it or haven’t asked for it.

Solution to the nosy employee:

How can you deal with a nosy employee in the workplace without offending them? Here are a few ideas:

• Deflect the interest by asking about them. People love to talk about themselves and when you give nosy employees the chance they will usually jump at it. So, if they ask about your date last night, just say that there was nothing exciting then ask what’s the most exciting date they’ve been on recently.
• Keep drawers closed and personal possessions out of sight to prevent unwanted attention.
• Give answers designed to bore your over-attentive audience.
• Be careful of adding nosy employees to your social media networks.

The Complaining Employee

The 3^rd type of employee that no one wants to be around is the one who is constantly complaining.

A chronic complainer is easy to spot because there seems to be a problem with everything. These types of employees seem to thrive on negativity. In fact, they are not just the “glass is half empty” type of people, but they also notice the chips on the glass, the water isn’t cold enough, or that these things always happen them.

In the end, complaining employees create a toxic environment in the office.

Solution to the complaining employee:

It can be difficult to help a complainer see the positive in everything. However, here are a few tips that may help:

• Try to think about what they are really wanting. Complaining employees usually want emotional validation for their grumbles. So, it’s best to validate their feelings and then try to quickly move on.
• Don’t help them see the positive as this may just make them try to convince you even more as to how hard they are done to. Try just to give them sympathy for their problems. If there are legitimate complaints, give some sympathy and then short and to-the-point advice.
• Pre-empt their complaints by frequently getting feedback on projects they are working on. This may in time help to change their mindset and it will prevent giving complainers an environment to thrive in.

Of course, there are other annoying habits that some employees have. However, knowing how to deal with chronic complainers, nosy co-workers, and noisy employees are some of the biggest challenges in the workplace.