Workplace pet peeves - what are yours?

Post Reply New Topic

1. I can’t stand when people say, “I have a question,” before they ask me a question. Either say, “Hey, do you have a second?” first or just ask me.
2. Some people do this side-to-side hand motion when they ask me questions that involve a choice. What is up with that?
3. I despise being called “Ma’am,” by coworkers. If you know my name, use it. If you don’t know it, ask me. I especially hate it when women of color say it (I’m white). I’m your equal and your colleague.

What are your pet peeves?

Mushroom Management

"Mushroom Management" is an allusion to a company's staff being treated like mushrooms: kept in the dark, fed a steady diet of bovine manure, and -- when grown big enough -- canned. The connotation is that the management is making decisions without consulting the staff affected by those decisions -– and possibly not even informing the staff until well after such decisions are made.

This phenomenon is an anti-pattern most commonly found in organizations which have a strict hierarchy and barriers to cross-organizational communication -- especially those with a stovepipe organizational structure, such as the military -- but can be found in any organization.

Negative Selection

Negative selection, in politics, is a process that occurs in rigid hierarchies, most notably dictatorships.

The person on the top of the hierarchy, wishing to remain in power forever, chooses his associates with the prime criterion of incompetence -- they must not be competent enough to remove him from power. The associates do the same with those below them in the hierarchy, and the hierarchy is progressively filled with more increasingly incompetent people as the hierarchy declines in rank.

If the dictator sees that he is threatened nonetheless, he will remove those that threaten him from their positions -- "purge" the hierarchy. Emptied positions in the hierarchy are normally filled with people from below -- those who were less competent than their previous masters. So, over the course of time, the hierarchy becomes less and less effective. As this happens relatively often, once the dictator dies, or is removed by some external influence, what remains is a grossly ineffective hierarchy.

Seagull Management

Seagulls are known for swooping down unexpectedly, squawking loudly, taking whatever they want, and crapping all over everything else as they fly away.

Persons who practice a form of "Seagull Management" will show up unexpectedly, shout their demands, take anything they want, and threaten people with job termination as they leave.

The Peter Principle... everyone rises to the limit of their incompetence, then they don't get promoted anymore. So most managers are on step higher than they are able to deal with.
Ironically, the manager I had most trouble with and was clearly out of his depth was called Peter.

Micromanagement

Gossip

Bad communication

When I see people doing things not my way. It's so hard no to go correct them.

Oh, and I have some coworkers whose voices annoy me. The ones who annoy me either sound like they’re about 13 (high-pitched, whiny voices) or speak really slowly and quietly. I want to tell them to e-mail me instead of talking to me, but I know I can’t.

At my previous job, a cleaner at a care home, I got both annoyed and anxious about some of the contradicting rules they had. One morning I arrived and my supervisor announced a new rule to us, which was that nobody leaves at our contracted finishing time until all tasks we are given are 100% completed, which felt like a punishment, because we wouldn't get paid for staying after our contracted hours. But on the day that 'genius' rule was thought up, I was asked to do the most tasks, which I got anxious about, being so I had to get a bus home from work every day and I didn't like the thought of being forced to stay after my shift finished just because I didn't have time to complete everything then miss my bus. They were aware of this, and my ASD/anxiety. But when I calmly asked how I can get all of my given tasks on time and expressed my anxiety of missing my bus, the supervisor threw her notepad across the room and accused me of arguing or refusing to do what I was asked, which wasn't true at all. She was in a bad mood that morning, and I felt under pressure.

I'm so glad I don't work there any more. I'm much happier where I'm working now.

People claiming my ideas or work as their own.

People blaming me for their mistakes.

Bullying, gaslighting, or general cliquishness.

People who draw attention to themselves and then complain about all the attention they're receiving.

Talking and laughing too much and too loudly


Personal questions

Small talk.

I also hate being treated like I’m incompetent or lacking common sense. Tuesday one of my coworkers made a mistake, and yesterday I got talked to about it. I have enough common sense to know that the very pregnant attorney I work with not being in the office this week probably means she’s on maternity leave. I’m not completely clueless.

Being addressed by my Christian name. It's "Mr. X" or "Sir"

Those who turn up dressed in a slovenly manner.

Tattoos (cf above).

Gossip.

Bad English.

Those who use the volume of their voice/superficial confidence to compensate for a lack of substance or ability.

Those who eat malodorous food, or eat loudly.

Lateness.

Idiotic and uninformed opinions.

Laziness.

Use of social media/phones during work hours.

Earphones.

Sex talk.

Etc. Etc. Etc.