The hustle, the deadlines, the frustrations…work is difficult enough as it is. When we add an annoying coworker to the mix, though, our work lives can become too much to bear. Nobody likes an annoying coworker, and they have the ability to bring down the entire operation if left to their own devices. Let’s not be hypocrites – judgement of others is easy, but introspection is not. If we expect peace and serenity while working, we must also make sure that we don’t become that annoying coworker ourselves! In this article, we’re talking about how to not be annoying at work, along with a few tips to keep in mind.
What Makes Someone Annoying At Work?
We’ve all felt annoyed by a coworker at some point, but the specific traits that make a person annoying can vary quite a bit – both in terms of how this person is annoying, as well as what we find annoying based on our own life experience.
Let’s go through some of the ways in which people can annoy us while we’re working:
- Preventing us from working in some way.
- Acting mean, condescending, judgmental, etc.
- Gossiping about others; talking behind people’s backs.
- Shirking responsibility; shifting blame
- Making repetitive mistakes.
- Interfering with our personal lives.
These are some of the more common experiences we can have, but there are countless anecdotal examples we can all point to.
Let’s talk about how to NOT be annoying at work ourselves!
How To Not Be Annoying At Work: Keep These Things In Check
In response to our bullet list above, are are some ways we can avoid being annoying at work ourselves:
- Let others do their job.
- Approach our coworkers with positivity and good intentions.
- Don’t impose our own thoughts or comments without invitation.
- Limit gossip and small talk, if not eliminate it completely.
- Take responsibility for ourselves and our work.
- Learn and grow through mistakes; be humble and open.
- Respect others’ privacy, space and time.
Below, we’ll discuss each of these points with a bit more context.
Let Others Do Their Job
One of the most common ways we annoy our coworkers is by not letting them get their work done.
Sure, work is a place we spend a lot of time. Yes, we can develop relationships with our coworkers that involve more than work. At the end of the day, though, we’re at work to do our job and get paid.
Whether it’s expressed through neediness, distraction, time-wasting or constantly interrupting a person’s focus, preventing others from doing their job is a sure-fire way to come across as annoying.
We all want to leave on time; to get our work done correctly; to feel like we can get our work done and still have a life. Keeping these aspects of a coworker’s life in tact is essential for harmony at work.
Read Next: How To Be More Efficient At Work: 8 Easy Practices
Approach Coworkers With Positivity & Good Intentions
A negative coworker can suck the good vibes out of a room the moment they walk in.
Negativity can manifest itself through complaining, criticizing others, a doom-and-gloom outlook and in many other forms, too. The feel of negativity is what we all recognize.
The first step is to remove negativity from the equation. Nearly all people would rather be around someone neutral over a negative person. By not being negative, we have nearly the same effect on others as by being positive.
A few easy ways to be positive at work are to compliment others on their ideas, help others when they need it and generally try to elevate the mood of others through your own good mood.
Read Next: Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important In Project Management?
Avoid Imposing On Others With Our Own Thoughts & Comments
It’s different to give feedback than it is to receive it. Giving feedback is easy for someone outside of the situation – none of their personal experiences, biases, feelings and stakes are involved!
Therefore, what we feel is helpful, positive feedback may be interpreted as criticizing, condemnation and judgement. No one wants to feel that way.
The easiest way to avoid imposing on coworkers in this fashion is to keep our thoughts to ourselves unless we’re specifically supposed to give it.
For instance, it’s normal to comment on someone’s work in a group project setting or if they’re your subordinate. A boss-employee relationship or a team-centered endeavor are supposed to include feedback and commentary.
It’s also normal to give honest feedback when we’re actually asked for it.
When we go around giving out advice like candy, we’re probably being annoying to our coworkers. Excessive commentary and advice-giving is a completely selfish pursuit – it’s about validating the person giving it, not to help the person receiving it.
Read Next: Managing Egos At Work: How To Decipher The Hidden Messages
Limit Gossip & Small Talk, If Not Stop Completely
Offices around the world are tight-knit. Human nature dictates that we develop a certain level of closeness with our coworkers – so much so, that information travels awfully fast in the workplace.
There’s an overlap between sharing information and straight-up gossiping. A small amount is totally normal, especially when it involves mutually-shared circumstances: changing of managers, coworkers leaving or a fight between employees are common reasons to ‘gossip’.
The trouble arises when certain people decide to make gossip and small-talk their main objective!
When a coworker is constantly talk about other people or day-to-day events, they most likely see it as a hobby and an interest, not sharing what they know. Remember – we go to work to do our jobs and get paid!
The easiest way to avoid gossip is to limit your engagement in conversations and seldom share information yourself.
Read Next: What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Work Environment? Our Top 10
Take Responsibility For Ourselves & Our Work
One of the easiest ways to annoy our coworkers is to blame them for mistakes or to avoid taking responsibility.
Not only is this annoying, but it completely destroys any trust and respect that was otherwise present.
If we can’t trust a coworker to take responsibility; to not stab us in the back (hypothetically) when an issue arises, we’ll always feel uncomfortable, guarded and on the defense going forward.
Now THAT is annoying.
Read Next: Is My Boss Manipulating Me? Here Are 12 Signs Of A Manipulative Boss
Learn & Grow Through Mistakes By Being Open & Honest
Mistakes are made at work every day. It’s common, expected and “OK”. At least, when they’re learned from and corrected in the future!
Similar to the item above, how do we feel when a coworker – who MADE a mistake – then tries to make excuses or blame others when it happens?
Whether it be out of ego, insecurity or plain snakiness, the worst thing a person can do after making a mistake is not taking ownership.
This says a lot about a person’s character and their relationship with reality.
Instead, it’s best for you and for your coworkers to learn from mistakes, take them seriously, be honest with yourself when they happen and be open to new approaches to work.
That’s what learning and growing is!
Read Next: Making A Mistake At Work: Causes & Solutions
Respect Others’ Privacy, Space & Time
When wondering how to not be annoying at work, one of the SIMPLEST things do to is to respect the big three, which we all care about:
- Privacy
- Space
- Time
Just like it’s a faux pas to bring up politics, religion and money in social settings, it’s also wrong to interfere with our coworker’s privacy, space and time.
By privacy, we mean staying out of their personal lives (unless invited in), private conversations and other sensitive matters like their emails, texts, etc.
By space, we refer to a person’s physical domain like their office, desk, etc., but also their personal space – refrain from standing too close or touching coworkers at work, especially when it’s not welcome.
By time, it refers to any of the topics above – distractions, chit-chat, gossip, negativity, etc. These take up the time of others, whether we realize it or not.
Just by following this SINGLE tip, we’ll drastically limit the chances of us annoying our coworkers.
Read Next: How To Not Get Bullied At Work: Essential Tactics | TOP 10
How To Not Be Annoying At Work: A Summary
While it’s uncomfortable to deal with annoying coworkers on a regular basis, it’s equally uncomfortable to realize that we ARE that annoying coworker ourselves. As we’ve discussed in this article, though, being less annoying is pretty simple – in fact, it requires inaction as frequently as it requires action. By respecting others’ privacy, space and time and spreading around some positivity, we’re already well on our way to positively affecting our coworkers and workplace! Thanks a lot for reading.
