8 Reasons Your Coworkers Dont Like You

Nothing prepares you for working your first office job, nothing. Certainly not anything I encountered during my four years in college got me ready to spend the better part of my days working an office job that has nothing to do with my career plans. But hey, I'm a twenty something earning a masters degree, my job isn't supposed to be relevant, it just needs to pay the bills.

Before applying to my first post grad job I watched a lot of The Office, and okay, I also watched a lot while in the office of my new post grad job. The Office thankfully gave me a real representation of how basic our everyday lives can be, I mean, Pretzel Day can only fall on one day a year after all. Thankfully I went into my new job fully aware of all the things that would drive my coworkers crazy, unfortunately not everyone has a Netflix account and a few hours to kill each night.

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So I'm here to tell you all the things that I, along with my coworkers, cant stand dealing with when a new person is hired. Or even an old veteran who doesn't give a crap about you and your rules. Let's begin...



Poor email etiquette.
If you think your personal email gets flooded with useless information, then you haven't yet been given access to your work Outlook account. And yeah, you're gonna have to put up with Outlook most likely. Unless every person CCed absolutely needs to read that email, rethink the people you consider including in your conversation. Seriously though, stop including me.

Making our public space private.
Personal phone conversations sometimes can't be avoided in the workplace. I get it, we spend 8 hours a day in the office, when else are we supposed to schedule our appointments and yell at Comcast. The thing is, there are private areas around the office. The break room is not one of them. And don't get me started on people who love using the speakerphone feature. Please, take your private conversations somewhere private, unless you're cool with all of us hearing how your boyfriend has been a total dick the past few days.

Not using your indoor voice.
Okay, as a fellow loud talker I can sympathize, but I'm just here to warn you. People on the other end can here us, without us having to raise our voice or stress every word coming out of our mouth. If you work in a small shared space I recommend just staying conscious of how loud you are. While I'm not saying whisper 24/7, definitely avoid making angry calls to customer service while at work or shouting across the work area to get someones attention. I know it sounds ridiculous but trust me, it happens.

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Pay attention to what you eat.
Remember your college days when you would camp out at the library for hours, stressed over finals and really trying to learn the information after a semester of scrolling through Instagram? Then all of a sudden, CRUNCH. Someone at the next table was munching on a bag of Doritos. The sound of someone else eating something loudly or uncomfortably fragrant is just as annoying in adulthood, except this time you cant tell them to go away because you're supposed to get along.

Being unreliable.
While this is definitely seen more in staff members who have been around a while, earning a reputation of being late or out of office often is a surefire way to lead people to dislike you. If you work in teams or in an environment where your absence causes a disruption, think again before hitting snooze one more time or calling out of work without proper cause.

Marking everything urgent.
As someone who wears headphones 24/7 at work, nothing is more startling that having the chorus of my favorite song interrupted by a loud ringing sound. Just like CCing, not every email is worth marking important. Limit these emails for when it's something that actually needs immediate attention.

Dressing inappropriately.
I get it, figuring out what to wear to a new job is hard, which is why you get a pass for the first week. After that first week you should be able to figure out what those around you are wearing though. Showing up too work looking too casual will make others takes you less seriously, and unfortunately will probably, definitely, lead to people talking about you. Don't overdress though, if your office is more casual don't feel the constant need to show up in a suit.

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Taking up people's time.
Do you remember being in class and seeing that student raise their hand just as class was about to be over? Never mind that they had an entire class period to ask questions during, they waited until the last possible minute. Don't be that person at work, please, don't. Asking questions are fine, but if you wait until the last possible minute when just about everyone has checked out, that's an easy way to make your coworkers not be able to stand you. Either ask while everyone is engaged or ask the presenter directly after wards.


Are you guilty of any of these office crimes? What's something you can't stand that your coworkers do? Let us know in the comments below!

1 comment

  1. Good Points! These are some good office etiquette's and everyone must follow them.It's difficult to survive at a place where nobody likes you and you feel alone. So it's important to work on yourself to get into a comfortable zone.

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