Your Office Pet Peeves!

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

It's no longer an issue for me ... as I mentioned at the beginning of my post, I've been working out of a home office for 15 years. People can wear all the stinkem they want to work for all I care now.

Envy. I wish I could work at home.

When you're working at home, how do you stay motivated? I'm afraid if I'm working at home, I'd be too tempted to watch soap operas (both regular daytime daytime and the prime time asian soaps that last 30 hours each), sports highlights, CNN, working out, surfing on the internet etc etc...

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Envy. I wish I could work at home.

When you're working at home, how do you stay motivated? I'm afraid if I'm working at home, I'd be too tempted to watch soap operas (both regular daytime daytime and the prime time asian soaps that last 30 hours each), sports highlights, CNN, working out, surfing on the internet etc etc...

Motivation is quite simple really. My work is very deadline driven, so that helps keep a person focused. What's an even simpler motivator is the simple equation No Work = No Pay. I also really like the lifestyle I have working at home, so that's another motivator.

I'm actually a fairly lazy person, but I know that I have it good with this home office gig and I'd really hate to have to work at a real job, so I do what's necessary to maintain my lifestyle. It's actually kind of like being semi-retired, except I'm earning pretty good money doing it.

Edit: Of course, I do have my indulgences, like CP and a daily 2 pm nap.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Edit: Of course, I do have my indulgences, like CP and a daily 2 pm nap.

You lucky SOB! I'd kill for an afternoon nap.

[kermitology]

I don't like it when your boss and mentor, who you really enjoy working for and is part of the reason you love your job so much leaves to pursue another opportunity.. Second time this has happened.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

You lucky SOB! I'd kill for an afternoon nap.

Every job has its own benefits package ... naps and a beer fridge happen to be mine. And the wife wife actually encourages me to have sex with my receptionist.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I don't like it when your boss and mentor, who you really enjoy working for and is part of the reason you love your job so much leaves to pursue another opportunity.. Second time this has happened.

Anyway to follow them? There may be opportunities at his/her new place.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Anyway to follow them? There may be opportunities at his/her new place.

Not right now.. I still have a great job working with great people.. He snagged me a year ago from my last job.. might happen down the road, but I'm not far enough in my career to work under him in the same degree based on where I think he's going.

[Ro]

This isn't necessarily just office related, it applies to any circumstance in life...

..but I absolutely LOATHE when someone of the opposite sex whose age is within 15 years of mine calls me "sweetheart" or "love" or "honey" or some other equally awkward, ill-chosen pseudonym.

"Miss," you are like 8 years older than me and I find that totally demeaning and emasculating, not to mention inappropriate. It's alright if the designated office "sweet older lady" (I really mean that in a sincere, friendly way, I promise) calls me one of those names, but please, nobody else.

Thank you.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Envy. I wish I could work at home.

When you're working at home, how do you stay motivated? I'm afraid if I'm working at home, I'd be too tempted to watch soap operas (both regular daytime daytime and the prime time asian soaps that last 30 hours each), sports highlights, CNN, working out, surfing on the internet etc etc...

Its been exactly one year since I started working from home. I love it, but like you said - you have to stay motivated.

It helps that I work for a dot com, so my bosses and all my colleagues are on ichat/MSN, and are chatting with me all day. If you're not online, you not in the "office" - type thing.

TV during the day is not my type of thing, so I have no problem not watching TV. I think draft day and the trade deadline will be the only time I take my laptop from my office and move into the living room.

I try to break the monotony of the day by working out for an hour during lunch every day. Keep in shape this way, get some excercise, and if anyone is looking for you, you just set your status to "Out To Lunch". No one seems to mind/care.

Living in Calgary, I think working from home is absolutely the best thing you can do. Everyone I talk to is always bitching about commute times, bad drivers, snow, etc.. and I never have to deal with that. Keeps the stress levels down, and helps me to really be thankful I get the opportunity to do a job I really enjoy, from the comfort of my home

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

My old boss was a really good man. He has since moved on to another company, which has opened doors for both himself and me. Nicest guy you ever met.... BUT... he had a couple of tendancies that would annoy me at times. This probably happens when you work with someone a lot heh.

My biggest peeve with him was that he would often stand behind me in my cubicle and not make a noise. I assume he didn't want to disturb me. But he would stand there for minutes on end. It was actually pretty creepy... Eventually he would cough a bit (he had a perennial cough), which always scared the crap out of me. That's when I realized he was there. Then he would say "sorry for disturbing you but..." once I noticed him.


Knock on something for friggin' sakes. My wall, my shelf...whatever. Don't just stand here like a creepy stalker.

[Eastern Girl]

My pet peeve would be the guy in my office that is always too busy to do everything his job requires so he pawns off things on people around the office. To top it off, he rarely gives those people credit for that work. Drives me crazy.

Another would just be the office gossiping. You can't say or do anything without everyone in the office analyzing it and discussing what it could mean.

Lastly, I get guys in my office calling me "honey" and "sweetie" etc. all the time. I hate it, I have said I hate it, but it's stuck around as a fun way for them to bug me. I really hate it.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Its been exactly one year since I started working from home. I love it, but like you said - you have to stay motivated.

It helps that I work for a dot com, so my bosses and all my colleagues are on ichat/MSN, and are chatting with me all day. If you're not online, you not in the "office" - type thing.

TV during the day is not my type of thing, so I have no problem not watching TV. I think draft day and the trade deadline will be the only time I take my laptop from my office and move into the living room.

I try to break the monotony of the day by working out for an hour during lunch every day. Keep in shape this way, get some excercise, and if anyone is looking for you, you just set your status to "Out To Lunch". No one seems to mind/care.

Living in Calgary, I think working from home is absolutely the best thing you can do. Everyone I talk to is always bitching about commute times, bad drivers, snow, etc.. and I never have to deal with that. Keeps the stress levels down, and helps me to really be thankful I get the opportunity to do a job I really enjoy, from the comfort of my home

That is sweet isn't it. One of the days I most appreciate working at home is that first big snowfall every year. Everyone else is fighting the traffic and idiots, and my biggest traffic hassle is having to kick both the cat and the dog out of my way on a trip to the coffee pot.

I'm sure the lowered stress of working at home is adding years to my life.

[Jiggy_12]

People who talk to you when you are clearly busy working on something. Wait until I'm freakin done!

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Eastern Girl

Lastly, I get guys in my office calling me "honey" and "sweetie" etc. all the time. I hate it, I have said I hate it, but it's stuck around as a fun way for them to bug me. I really hate it.

K sweetie we'll keep that in mind!

Seriously though, if you cannot affect their behaviour by verbal admonishment, go for the kick to the junk. Then smile and say, "oh, SORRY, remind me how you HATE when I do that next time it looks like I'm winding up for the field goal."

[CaptainCrunch]

Eastern girl brings up another pet peeve, woman who get all angry and phone HR whenever they get a pat on the bum, or a boobie tweek.

Rules for successful office dating

1) Be confident
2) Be handsome.

[burn_this_city]

^^ I agree.. How else are we supposed to thank them for doin a good job?!?

[HelloHockeyFans]

How about people who veer completely off topic when you ask them a question? They answer... but then continue on... and on... and on...

[Eastern Girl]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Eastern girl brings up another pet peeve, woman who get all angry and phone HR whenever they get a pat on the bum, or a boobie tweek.

Rules for successful office dating

1) Be confident
2) Be handsome.

Hey! I never complained when I got the butt pat or the boobie tweek. I welcome it, cause, as mentioned already, how would I know I was doing well? But don't call me Honey when you do it. I hate it. Ruins the whole thing.

[FlamesAddiction]

I think my biggest just happened to me...

I was printing a pretty large CAD drawing in PDF format. When I do this, I wait until the end of the day as to not hog the printer for too long... it was taking around 10 minutes to send to the printer.

Anyway, a lady who works in the office here wanted to print her measley WORD doc and then go home, so she just went ahead and reset the printer so hers would be 1st in the queue. It was 90% complete at the time.

[PsYcNeT]

- Grossly overweight folk who constantly wheeze in the next cubicle (doubly so after they have moved any distance farther than five feet)

- Sandwich stealers

- Coffee mug/thermos thieves, you know, the ones that grab random ones out of the dishwasher in the morning because they forgot theirs

- Asking me to fix your/his/her/etc computer because I'm the 'tech guy' who just so happens to not be the IT guy (and thusly, often in the main office rather than in his own)

- Having one superior tell you to complete a specific task, then being questioned admonishingly about it by another 10 minutes later when discovered

- Micromanagement in a very self-sufficient department

- That darn guy who always steals my pens