Annoying colleagues

I agree Betsy; some people attack the person rather than the problem.

People who cc the world and its mother on emails in the (mistaken) belief that it will impress...and people who hold onto some piece of work that they dont want to do and suddenly make it urgent as they dump it onto you-just as they leave for their holidays.

The office hypochondriac - used to sit opposite one & got details of every little niggle, ache & pain. She was a walking medical dictionary. She had a fully stocked pharmacy in her office drawer. Always calling in sick (and guess who used to have to cover). The best was when she called in sick one day - when asked was she OK, she said it was really more her boyfriend than herself (bad enough) and went on to describe his (private & embaressing) problem - which was not life treatening.

The "I'm better than you" co-worker" - We started on the same day, we did the same job, for the same pay, but this guy decided he was better than everyone else. I didn't realise I knew his girlfriend from school & bumped into her as she was waiting for him one day. He left her waiting saying he was stuck in a very important meeting (Tetris can do that to you!!). So me & her got chatting & she asked if I was working for "Joe", how fantastic it is that he has such an important job & so many staff reporting to him - he had told her he was doing our managers, managers job!! He arrived out at that stage & I simply said - "No, I don't work for "Joe", in fact we are both on the same step of the career ladder - the bottom step" They broke up later that week. I could write a book on this guy alone.

Colleagues who will not answer their phone, and insist that you make an appointment to see them. (yes it really happens)
and cc the manager to make them look good

People who deliberately make themselves indispensible by not tellling anyone what they're doing, creating the most complicated, indecipherable spread sheets possible and filing things in really obscure places.

Sh*t stirrers.....
the ones who come across a simple mistake you've made which is easily rectified but instead of taking a minute to fix it, the email you harping on about it, creating a big drama, cc the managers to show your mistake and generally create bad feeling in the office.

I have one of those and she drives me mental. I frequently correct mistakes (minor) made by her and other co workers and don't bat an eyelid. We're all human and they aren't of major consequence.
She makes a big deal of it and tries to make everyone look bad but only succeeds in making herself look petty and generally being disliked by everyone.
Initiative is under rated!

grrr...literally just got a stupid email from her cc'ing my manager about a problem she could have fixed while speaking to the client on the phone! Instead emails me and asks me to call client to answer the clients question which took a 2 minute phone call.........It's all just so unnecessary which irritates me most!

if someone has that "Office Wisdom" email they should post it - classic stuff like:

If at first you dont succeed, remove all evidence of ever having tried.
Never do today what will become someone else's problem tomorrow.

All very cynical (and largely true!) &, regardless of your style, forewarned is forearmed.

Buzzwords! Going Forward, Heads Up, Moving Goalposts, ducks in a row - head wrecking stuff. Also, if the boss has an obvious favourite buzzword/expression and brown-nosers start using it too...drives me
m-e-n-t-a-l

Management referring to other management or more senior staff using initials only:
CGs directive handed out by HJ this week needs to be followed up by PK, LT and FR, with an input by WD if he is available.

There is someone in my workplace, in a different section, but who constantly goes up and down the (open-plan) office yelling into a mobile. I dont think she realises genuinely just how loud she is. Painful though!

People who fling open windows the minute they get in to the office, freezing everyone out of it, because they've just ran, cycled, swam up the canal to work and are all red faced and roasting.

liaconn said:

People who fling open windows the minute they get in to the office, freezing everyone out of it, because they've just ran, cycled, swam up the canal to work and are all red faced and roasting.

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that would be me. No matter how cold it is i open the windows. But not because i've just snowboarded across the mountains to work. I just like the fresh air.

(and i work alone most of the time.)

I agree on the fresh air. I cant stand this stuffy office recycled air. Thankfully I work from home during the week sometimes and I can sit beside the window with a lovely cool breeze.

I dont like the stuffy office recycled air either, it plays havoc with the sinuses.

Although I must admit, I am not a window flinger opener, despite bungee jumping into the office I dont be all red faced and roasting from it.

Have to admit, I'd prefer to be stuffy and recycled than blue and shivery.

liaconn said:

Have to admit, I'd prefer to be stuffy and recycled than blue and shivery.

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Interesting, given a choice Id prefer to be too cold than too warm. I cant work if Im overheating, but I can if Im a bit on the shivery side!!

truthseeker said:

Interesting, given a choice Id prefer to be too cold than too warm. I cant work if Im overheating, but I can if Im a bit on the shivery side!!

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Same here - my window is normally open but I do have my own office.

truthseeker said:

Interesting, given a choice Id prefer to be too cold than too warm. I cant work if Im overheating, but I can if Im a bit on the shivery side!!

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I find it impossible to concentrate if I'm freezing cold. I'm just so distracted by the fact that my feet and hands are numb! Admittedly a really hot office is awful as it just makes you sick and sleepy. I think compromise is probably the answer in an open plan set up. Let the place heat up a bit during the morning and then let a bit of fresh air in. Its the people who don't even let the place warm up before they start pouring in the cold (fresh) air that annoy me.

I remember in school when teachers used to walk into the room and insist on opening up all the windows to "wake us up", the classrooms would be bloody freezing anyway.

I definitely prefer to be too warm than too cold.

Colleague who are nice to your face but critize you behind your back (stupid enough to send by mistake e-mail to my inbox)

Who cried, have tantrums like a 3 years old if you have been show something and not her

Who fake dizziness, act like a drama queen (you think she is dying) but when you offer to drop her home and ring her other half she suddenly feel better.