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Dealing With Annoying Co-Workers (Yelling 'Shut Up' Isn't an Option!)

July 25, 2016
We've all had to work with someone who annoyed us. But did you know it actually can contribute to stress levels and reduce productivity when coworkers don't get along.

We’ve all experienced it: an annoying co-worker whose habits, voice, behavior or work ethic is like nails on a chalk board to us. Sometimes just the sight of that person causes our blood pressure to rise.

When employees are working eight hours or more a day in close quarters, it's only a matter of time before they will start to get on each other’s nerves. According to career coach, speaker and author Ford Myers, this problem is much more common than you might think.

Myers, author of "Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring," says, "It's hard to believe that some individuals can be so unaware of how their behaviors are affecting others in the workplace. Yet, we see these sorts of issues at almost every company.”

Annoying behavior, and the interoffice bickering it often creates, can be costly. If the annoying behavior doesn't stop, it definitely will decrease productivity in the workplace. If you are the one who’s being annoyed, you'll do just about anything to avoid the annoying person, which can keep important work from getting done. You'll be frustrated and grow more unhappy on the job, so you'll probably start arriving at work later and leaving earlier than usual, which also diminishes productivity.

If you are the supervisor or manager of co-workers who don’t get along, you understand the amount of time and energy it takes to referee these kinds of workplace issues.

If you are dealing with an annoying co-worker and can resolve the issue with that person within a reasonable period of time, your morale shouldn't be impacted too much. But if your complaints go unanswered, and nothing is done about the problem, you may become very disillusioned and demoralized. Nobody likes to be in a work situation where they don't feel management is addressing their complaints and concerns.

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EHS Today is an IndustryWeek companion site within Penton's Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.


About the Author

Sandy Smith | Editor-in-Chief

Sandy Smith is editor-in-chief of EHS Today, a Penton publication. She has been writing about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990. She has been interviewed about occupational safety and health for documentaries and television programs, has served as a panelist on roundtables, has provided the keynote address for occupational safety and health conferences and has won national and international awards for her articles.

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