Is your office desk neighbour annoying?
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 23 October 2009, 22:34 IST   |    19 Comments
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Is your office desk neighbour annoying?
Bangalore: Is your office desk neighbour annoying? Two out of five office workers have said that they sit next to an annoying colleague, reveals a new British survey. According to the study conducted by recruitment firm Office Angels, workers spend an average of 1,332 hours a year sitting at their desks, and the strain often shows. Sometimes, the situation becomes so bad, that they are forced to move their desk. Around 38 percent complained about colleagues they sat next to, sometimes even confronting them about their behaviour or habits or even asking to be moved. The common complaints included colleagues who talked too much, moaned, stole items of stationery or were too nosy. Other annoying habits include, receiving e-mail from someone sitting only three feet away, listening to voice mail over a speakerphone, swearing at the computer and playing music a co-worker doesn't like. Noise created by technology topped annoyances that ranked high just a few years ago, such as leaving the photocopier with a jam or gossiping. Also included in the list this year are habits like eating noisily, sucking up to bosses or leaving their desks in a messy state. However, over a third of them did reveal they had become good friends with work colleagues, and a similar number believed they had learned new skills from a colleague. "Whilst the majority of office workers have a happy working environment, it's inevitable that occasionally desk-neighbours will get on your nerves," the firm's Managing Director David Clubb told Sky News. "However, as the results show, it is no surprise that there are plenty of workers who have good working relationships with colleagues, and it is a known fact that many people meet their partners or closest friends in the workplace."

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