Key Points
- Poor personal hygiene is the most disliked workplace behaviour, a survey has found.
- Hypocrisy, micromanagement and having unreasonable expectations were the worst traits in bosses.
- Reliability and honesty were the most liked personality traits in colleagues.
A survey from job site Indeed found 31 per cent of respondents said they’d rather have a tooth extracted rather than socialise with a colleague outside of work.
What annoys people the most about their colleagues?
Gossiping comes next, with almost half the respondents (49 per cent) finding this an annoying trait in colleagues.
Professor Herman Tse teaches management at Monash University in Melbourne.
“What seems like a small issue can spiral into bigger problems like reduced teamwork, lower morale, and even job dissatisfaction.”
Which personality traits do people dislike most in their colleagues?
Being unreliable and being rude came next at 51 per cent each, closely trailed by being a liar at 50 per cent.
What makes a bad boss?
“Over time, this leads to employee burnout, reduced performance, and higher turnover rates.”
Sally McKibbin, a career expert at Indeed, weighed in on the impact of such behaviour on workers.
“When annoying behaviours become more than just pet peeves, they create major disruptions that can turn a dream job into a recurring nightmare, and in some cases, even prompt someone to resign,” she said.
What causes workers to quit their jobs?
“In fact, research consistently reveals that employees don’t just leave companies — they leave their managers.”
“Over half (55 per cent) of workers have felt stressed due to annoying co-worker behaviours and 40 per cent find their workplace difficult because of annoying colleague behaviour. The tension is significant enough to have driven nearly a third to resign in the past because of a co-worker’s conduct.”
So, what do people like?
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of Australian workers surveyed by Indeed said that being reliable was the top trait they like in their colleagues while 60 per cent voted in favour of honesty.
McKibbin explained the importance of positive traits on the morale of a workplace.
Indeed conducted the survey in May on nearly 1,100 Australian employees aged between 18 and 64.