85% Of People Work With Annoying Colleagues, New Survey Shows

Posted 28th June 2024 • Written by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. on forbes.com • • • • • •

New reports show that workplace toxicity is souring employee morale, and hampering engagement, productivity and even a company’s bottom line. Studies show that workplace safety and well-being are on the decline in 2024, including cyber threats, workplace violence and mass shootings. From stress bragging to hey hanging, workplace civility is plummeting with 66% of respondents in another study reporting incivility at work like gaslighting, passive aggression and interrupting in one month.

Some remote employees have relaxed standards of etiquette when working alone, which in some ways makes us more productive. We might focus on a report in our sweats and rock to Dua Lipa or Harry Styles while eating a tuna fish sandwich. But when interacting virtually or on-site with team members, there are certain rules of etiquette that haven’t gone out of style. We’re still connected, just in a different way than before the pandemic, which means professional standards must be preserved.

Before the pandemic when most employees worked in close proximity coworkers were considerate of proper attire, voice volume and behaviors that impact colleagues. Of course, there were exceptions like the time you sniffed a horrible odor and realized a coworker just microwaved fish. Or the day you reached into the office fridge to find the half-eaten sandwich you brought for lunch. Then there was the morning you were trying to concentrate on a deadline while a group of party-hardy coworkers in the next cubicle screamed with laughter that dragged on and on.

Today, even though more of us work from home, work etiquette is still a thing, right? Or have we become such complacent hybrid workers that professional manners and protocols have gone down the toilet? Yulia Mamonova, head of content at Lemon.io poses that question, making a shot across the bow. “Even in this wild digital world, where 58% of U.S. professionals work remotely, people often forget that calling your remote colleague out of the blue, sending long audio messages or devouring your lunch during a Zoom call is actually NOT okay,” she insists.

Disturbing Acts Of Workplace Incivility

A new study by Kickresume surveyed almost 3,000 employees to better understand how people manage grating colleague behaviors in the workplace. The career experts detailed the different types of annoying colleagues—ranked one to five—where this conduct surfaces, and how employees deal—or wish they dealt—with these issues. The findings showed that 85% of people have dealt with an annoying coworker, with 58% saying these behaviors significantly affect their productivity. The research found that there are five grating types of coworkers.

I spoke with Peter Duris, CEO at Kickresume. He told me that people often avoid direct confrontation from which he concludes that many workplaces might lack good communication training and conflict resolution resources. “Fixing these issues could make employees happier and create a more supportive work environment,” according to Duris. “Our findings are quite concerning, so we want to highlight the importance of creating a harmonious workplace where these behaviors are addressed. This could involve diplomatically making staff aware of how their actions affect the team. Doing this will help build a more united, friendly and efficient workplace."

The environment in which uncivil behaviors take place plays a role in how people feel about annoying colleagues. A total of 62% have faced irritating behaviors in the workplace directly. For example, 44% of hybrid or remote employees found their colleagues annoying through emails and Slack, and 29% felt the same with video calls and 37% with phone calls.