Grumpy colleagues are the biggest workplace irritants, a new survey has revealed. Temperamental workmates just pip the the frustrations of technology in a list of gripes of the daily nine to five, according to the survey by Opinium Research.
About two-thirds of all office staff get annoyed by something around them while some 37 per cent find it hard to work when co-workers are sulking, grumpy or irritable, the survey has found.
Some 36 per cent say they are frustrated by computer breakdowns in the office. Colleagues who gossip or who indulge in backstabbing annoy 19 per cent of staff, it revealed.
Other things we can't bear about office life include people speaking too loudly on the phone, overbearing health and safety rules, dirty toilets and bad heating or air conditioning.
"These annoyances will ring a bell with most people who have experienced office life. A significant number say these irritations cause them to leave their jobs," the British media quoted James Endersby of Opinium Research as saying.
The results come despite earlier surveys that concluded slow and unreliable computer equipment is the most annoying thing about modern office life.
A 2008 online poll found workers loudly munching their way through packets of crisps were the most annoying office sounds. Just behind in terms of the ability to cause silent fury is the sound of a hot drink being slurped loudly, while annoying mobile ringtones were named in third place.
