Recently, employees shared the most annoying things their coworkers could do. Here are a few more:
1. "I once had a coworker who, upon hearing me say 'Good morning,' responded with, 'There is nothing good about this morning.' I was so fucking stoked when she quit."
2. "Managers who refuse to accept that their way is anything less than the only correct way. My department has discovered that, when our manager is telling us how to do something, it's easiest just to let him talk himself out, then ignore him and do the work the way it actually needs to be done."
3. "Complaining to my boss that I’m 'unfriendly' because I don’t smile enough, make small talk, or make good eye contact. Let neurodivergent people do their jobs instead of making us waste our time and energy on meaningless social cues, or sabotaging our careers if we don’t perform the 'normal neurotypical coworker' mask well enough for your liking."
4. "Not recognizing (or completely flat-out ignoring) when it's time to terminate a person who is not contributing anything. I get called ageist for this shit and it drives me nuts, but sorry/not sorry, Larry dear, you haven't done a single thing remotely resembling work in YEARS. Yet he gets a free pass and retirement instead of getting LET THE FUCK GO? This is what my company does, it keeps people way longer than it should, all because 'they've been there so long.' Nope. If they aren't working, they need to go. We have plenty of people over 60 who are still kicking ass at their jobs. Sadly, we also have people who are NOT, but no one does a damn thing about it."
5. "Constantly complaining about the place we work at while at work. I get it, it sometimes sucks, but there’s no need to stand at my office door every morning and complain. I’m just trying to get my work done and get through my day with the least amount of stress."
6. "Don’t tell me you’ll do something if you don’t have time and/or the mental capacity to actually follow through. If you tell me you’ll do something, I’ll just assume it’s getting done, probably half forget about it, and will be very unpleasantly surprised to find out that it, in fact, has NOT been done. If you can’t do something, just tell me, but don’t lead me on when I could easily do it myself or ask someone else."
7. "Speaking to people like they're a piece of shit just because you think you can due to hierarchy. Be nice to people."
8. "Constantly complaining about recurring issues and not providing suggestions or solutions."
9. "Workplaces that expect everyone to have the same personality — outgoing, loud, chatty, 'the life of the party.' I'm friendly and nice but quiet, and have actually had meetings with managers where they told me my personality just 'wasn't a good fit.' Well, how the hell do you expect introverts to pay rent and have food, exactly? Do we not deserve to have a job and an income because we're not into spending hours a day talking about nothing in particular?"
10. "Taking everything personally. I have a staff member who cannot handle it if someone does not like her or doesn’t get on with her. I have seen her cry at work because of it. I have just told her to accept that we all have different personalities at work, and to not take it personally. I wish she would just focus on doing her job well instead of getting caught up in making friends."
11. "I'm in healthcare, and I cannot tolerate people who treat patients like an inconvenience. I know some of them (and their families) can be a pain in the ass, but if you can't handle some of that every now and again, it's time to change careers."
12. "Acting like this is high school and reporting me because I don't want to talk about your personal life with you. (Yes, this happened, and my boss laughed it off, obviously.)"
13. "Brownnosing. A guy I work with is the biggest cheerleader in meetings with management. The instant you actually start the project and need his help, he's too busy to contribute. So everyone in leadership thinks he's an amazing employee on a thousand projects, but he actually doesn't do much."
14. "Trying to push your personal junk on your coworkers. We're here to work, not to be recruited to your religion or politics, advise on your personal health decisions, or join your pyramid scheme."
15. "I work in an office with just me and five dudes with one shared bathroom…I literally feel like I’m going to lose it when one of them sits in the bathroom for 20 minutes or longer and I need to use it."
16. "Gossip is a big one for me. I have one particular coworker who describes herself as 'motherly,' but that’s just code for 'nosy.' She’s a vicious gossip and dramatic shit-stirrer. She can still be thoughtful, but she loves to talk shit about everyone, so I’m careful to gray-rock her."
17. "Being told to slow down to make the work last the day. No, motherfucker. I’m going to do my job in a safe and timely manner, and if I finish early, do your job and line up more work!"
18. "Retaliation. It creates a workplace where actual concerns cannot be brought up without fear that management will make things much worse, instead of everyone working to fix things for the better. It leads to the good employees quietly finding other jobs, and an ever-growing toxicity at the remaining workplace."
What's something your coworkers do that you can't stand? Tell me in the comments!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.