“I find it quite irritating when a work-mate gets so opinionated and bossy to the extent we can never have a stable conversation,” says Dedan Kimenyi, an auditor with Kenya Commercial Bank in Kigali.There are so many things that are annoying at the office, but knowing how to identify them and avoid them is another story.Dan Ntagugura, a senior tax consultant with KPS Associates, says its hard to cope with people who do not respect time.“Once a person cannot be disciplined to keep time, know that dealing with him or her will be a big hustle. They will always disorganise your programmes and schedules,” he says.Remember, time is certainly money!“If you are in an open office, avoid talking loudly on phone,” counsels Kimenyi.“This disrupts other people’s concentration, affecting work flow.”There are also some workers who wear strong perfumes that can hit you from a distance that it is Marvin or Chantal coming.“It is like people douse themselves with perfume overnight,” Jidia Gasana, an engineer at MTN in Kigali, says.Gasana advises workers to always think about their office colleagues before wearing strong perfumes.Meanwhile, a survey conducted in the UK late last year found that noisy eating by colleagues was the most irritating office habit. Among the over 1,000 workers interviewed, more than half (57%) identified the habit as the most annoying trait among their co-workers, followed by messy colleagues (32%).More than a quarter (27%) highlighted a failure by other staff members to wash up as their biggest problem. Food-related complaints featured prominently on the list of annoyances among British office workers, in a study commissioned by Ainsley Harriott Cup Soup.Fourth on the list was colleagues who bring smelly food into the office (26%), followed by lateness (also 26%), failure to listen (25%) and people who talk over conversation (23%).William Hanson, a leading expert on etiquette, said that while the British option might be to say nothing, the best practice was to deal with colleagues frustrating habits.Hanson said:Take the annoying colleague aside and cleverly tell them about your complaint.” ----------------------------------------------------- How to deal with annoying co-workers• Remove yourself from the situation: If you find yourself focusing more on your co-workers annoyance than the work in front of you, take a break. Even a few minutes in a restroom or break room will clear your head and calm your nerves.• Find an outlet for your frustration: A 20-minute walk or vent-session with a trusted friend is another option. Once you have released the built-up tension you will find you have a new perspective on the situation.• Find your focus: If deadlines prevent you from removing yourself from the situation, create a place of calm in your own mind. Any technique that helps you create a clear head-space will provide a sense of control and calm. Try noise-canceling ear-buds or mentally repeat a mantra, like focus in your mind.• Go to the Source: If all your attempts fail and your work is still suffering, be respectful and pay your co-worker the courtesy of addressing them directly. Explain the problem, for example, it is hard for me to concentrate and, together, find a solution that works for the both of you.• Last resort: If the problem persists you have no choice but to bring your concern to a supervisor. Who knows, you may not be the only one in the office having a problem with this co-worker.
