How many of these are you guilty of?
Loud desk eaters and contagious colleagues top the list of the top 50 bugbears.
The research* from Crunch Accounting found these everyday frustrations are driving as many as 54 per cent of Brits to crave a new, alternative way of working.
More than a quarter of people admitted these pet annoyances made them want to work remotely, while one in four said they wished they could become their own boss.
Darren Fell, CEO of Crunch Accounting, who commissioned the research, said: “Our customers are the self-employed, freelancers and contractors – people who have made the conscious decision to escape the rat race and start their own business. So it comes as little surprise to hear how frustrated Britain’s employees are with the niggling bugbears of the modern corporate office.”
UK’s Top 50 Office Bugbears:
1. Crashing computers – 27%
2. Slow internet – 25%
3. Office gossip – 24%
4. Workplace too cold – 24%
5. Colleagues moaning – 22%
6. Eating loudly at desk – 21%
7. Pointless meetings – 21.5%
8. Colleagues making you look bad – 19%
9. Workplace too hot – 19%
10. Colleagues interrupting you – 17%
11. People calling in sick when you suspect they’re fine – 17%
12. People coming into work when they’re contagiously ill – 16%
13. People who suck up to the boss – 15%
14. The toilets being left in a horrible state – 15%
15. Emails being ignored – 14%
16. Meetings that seem to go on forever – 13.5%
17. Appraisals/performance reviews – 13%
18. Stinky food – 13%
19. Messy office – 12%
20. Talking too loudly on the phone – 12%
21. Uncomfortable seats – 11%
22. People using corporate jargon -11%
23. When you use the toilet after someone’s made a terrible smell, and when you come out there’s someone else waiting who will think the smell was made by you – 10.5%
24. Your internet use being monitored – 10%
25. Having to contribute to birthday/other celebration collections – 9%
26. Someone’s mobile phone notifications pinging loudly all day – 9%
27. Colleagues over-sharing details of their personal lives – 9%
28. Repeatedly rescheduling meetings – 8%
29. Food being left to rot in the communal fridge/cupboards – 8%
30. People looking at your computer screen – 8%
31. Tuneless humming or whistling – 8%
32. Colleagues who are totally clueless about technology – 8%
33. People stealing your food from the communal fridge/cupboards – 7%
34. Overly loud typers – 7%
35. Not making tea – 7%
36. People leaving passive-aggressive messages on post-it notes – 6%
37. Constantly being tempted by snacks/cakes – 6%
38. People who send emails to you despite sitting next to you – 6%
39. Making small talk about the weekend on a Friday afternoon – 6%
40. Finger-drummers – 5%
41. People who comment on how long you’ve been out at lunch – 5%
42. Making small talk about the weekend on a Monday morning – 4.5%
43. People not contributing to birthday/other celebration collections – 4%
44. People clipping their nails at their desks – 4%
45. Making small-talk in the lift – 4%
46. People listening to music on headphones so you have to wave to get their attention – 3%
47. People who drink protein shakes – 3%
48. People who run or cycle to work, leaving their sweaty gear everywhere – 3%
49. Wacky office pranks – 3%
50. People who eat incredibly healthy lunches – 3%
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