Pet Peeves in the Workplace

The definition of a pet peeve is, “a particular and often continual annoyance” ( Pet peeve, 1920).  As workers in the business world, the two main pet peeves of which we need to be aware of are not taking responsibility for your actions and poor fridge etiquette.  This awareness will ensure that we, as employees, focus on increasing productivity in the workplace and not let a simple pet peeve distract us from our main objective.

First, LinkedIn conducted a survey to find out the top pet peeves in the workplace. The participants responded with an overwhelming 78 percent saying that their top pet peeve was an individual not taking responsibility for his or her actions. The principle to be learned is that if you ever make a mistake on a project or assignment, don’t blame a coworker, don’t blame the project you were assigned, accept the fact that you made an error, and work to do better in the future. Your coworkers will respect you more and you will gain their trust. (Kim, 2011, para 1, 2, 8).

Second, we have all had a time when we have opened the fridge in the workplace break room to find it messy and smelling like something died. This may seem laughable, but one of the top pet peeves in the workplace is people leaving their food for weeks on end and people eating other people’s food. So the next time you’re at work and you're tempted to leave that casserole that you didn’t finish or eat that pudding that has been sitting there all day, think twice;  it may be your boss’s ( Kim, 2011, para 1, 2, 8).

In conclusion, while not taking responsibility and fridge etiquette  may seem trivial, when ignored, they can wreak havoc in the workplace. When at work, we are either improving our productivity or making it worse; there is no middle ground. These pet peeves, although small, distract us from the productivity for which every business strives. Every employee should take time to assess himself or herself  to make sure that not only are they contributing in a positive way to the workplace, but also not distracting  coworkers inadvertently through his or her actions.

References

Kim, S. (2011, September 28). Top 5 office pet peeves: Not my department[DC17] . Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/09/top-10-office-pet-peeves-not-my-department/

Pet peeve. (1920, January 1). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pet      peeve

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The Unsung Rite of Passage

The Unsung Rite of Passage

The traditional characteristics that professional employees should possess, such as being positive, dependable, etc., we hear often; while acknowledging their value, I submit that there are less commonly discussed characteristics that every professional employee should develop. Those characteristics are competitiveness and humor.

First, we’re raised to believe that the winners receive recognition and reward whereas the losers get nothing. Everyone has a chance to be a winner, but it’s only those who dare chase it that have a real chance of winning. Being competitive is an important characteristic in a professional employees because those are the ones who, despite the odds or circumstances, fight to outperform their coworkers on a daily basis. "Production is increased where there is competition. As the employees compete, they also increase production in their quest to outdo one another...” (Chingombe, 2012).

Second, humor is especially important in the workplace. If you are seen as cold and distant, and you never smile, odds are that people won’t want to associate with you; they won’t approach you with questions, and they definitely won’t want to work with you. For a work environment to be successful, people need to feel comfortable interacting with each other, and humor can accomplish that very thing. Messmer, who conducted the survey wrote, “Levity by those at the top can make the office less stressful and even more fun, which can help improve productivity, morale and retention"(Carreon, 2012).

In conclusion, I firmly believe that people who are actively seeking to outperform their co-workers and provide humor to laugh off the problems and frustrations endemic to everyday work not only become successful people but embody the characteristics for which all employees should strive.

References

Carreon, B. (2012, January 31). Survey say humor is important in the workplace. Deseret News. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705398409/Survey-says-humor-is-important-in-the-workplace.html?pg=all&ref=http://www.deseretnews

.com/splash?skipSplash=true&platform=ipad&isWebView=0&requestedURL=/article

/ 705398409/Survey-says-humor-is-impo rtant-in-the-workplace.html?pg=all&ref=

https%3A%2%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Chingombe, M. (2012, March 23). The advantages and disadvantages of a competitive workplace.

  Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.insidebusiness360.com/index.php/the-

  advantages-and -disadvantages-of-a-competitive-workplace-2-2344/