Annoying Co-Workers

 

Happy Friday Workaholics!

 

I realized recently that sometimes it is not the customers that annoy me most, but it is my co-workers who really drive me insane. I have found that there is always that one co-worker that decides to interrupt you over the stupidest things when you are clearly trying to get your work done. I have resorted to avoiding that one co-worker, and try my hardest to look as busy as possible at all times.

The other type of annoying co-worker is the strange co-worker. I think we have all encountered at least one of these. This is the co-worker that is very bad at socializing and also says the most inappropriate of things. I have discovered more of these while working at the grocery store than at the bank. What I have tried to do is befriend this type of co-worker. I have often discovered that they are not so strange once you get to know them!

While encountering these strange co-workers, I have occasionally wondered to myself, “am I an annoying co-worker?” I feel as if those co-workers that we try to avoid have no idea how aggravating they can be, or do they? I have often wondered that perhaps things would change if someone were to sit them down and explain why no one ever wants to talk to them at company gatherings, or why we always seem to be hard at work when they are around. I have never built up the courage to do this, however, because I am too afraid that I may hurt that persons feelings.

I must say, one thing that really irks me is when someone comes to work deathly ill. This person can accurately be described as the sick time martyr. I have one co-worker who recently decided to come to work with the flu. I understand that she did not want to miss work or leave us short-handed, but instead she made things worse. Not only was she of no help to us being so sick, but she spread the flu to almost all of us. My case of the flu, which I believe I caught from her, wound up turning into bronchitis. I was sick for well over a month all because she decided it would be best to go to work ill. Not only did I get sick, but so did all of my co-workers that were working that day. It left the bank more shorthanded than it would have been had she chosen to stay home that one day. Tellers had to be called in from other banks to help fill all the sick calls. Thanks a lot, you sick time martyr!

Another type of co-worker that we must deal with, especially when working in a small office space, is the stinky co-worker. This is the most difficult type to deal with. In my case, the stinky co-worker didn’t smell bad, the problem was that she just smelled too much. This particular co-worker would wear way too much perfume. It could easily be smelled from across the office, and gave me incredible headaches. One day I finally built up enough courage to say something to her. I know that this is a touchy subject, so it took a long time for me to build up the bravery. I explained to her that her perfume (while it smelled very good) had given me headaches for over a month, and that possibly I was allergic to it. I then asked if perhaps she could wear less of it to the office and then spray on more after work when she was going out. She happily obliged and had no idea that it was so overpowering. I am so glad that I finally gained the courage to ask her!

Sometimes there is the occasional annoying co-worker who is constantly asking questions about how to do their job. I often encounter this co-worker while working at the grocery store. At first, I used to just give the person a quick answer or do the task myself. But, I have learned from the old saying that if you give a man (or woman) a fish, it will feed him (or her) for a day. If you teach a man (or woman) to fish, it will feed them for a lifetime. I have started to teach those co-workers how to properly do the task at hand. It may be time-consuming in the moment, but it is much less time-consuming than constantly having to answer the same question day in and day out.

Well, that’s my list of the most annoying types of co-workers. Do you guys have any to add to the list? I am sure I forgot to mention some of the many other types of annoying co-workers. I would love to hear your input!

As always, have a wonderful weekend workaholics!