Taming Office Pet Peeves

Last updated: 10-1-2026

Respect and success work hand in hand in the office, in fact they’re dependent on one another. Office mannerisms, or unspoken rules of the workplace, are kept in place to create flow and balance for everyone hard at work. What happens when that harmony is disrupted? I’m talking about certain disturbances caused by your not-so-aware coworker. That’s right: office pet peeves. Here’s how to spot them and so that you can become aware of yours or another’s actions. After all, the office is a communal space shared by everyone, and people should treat it as such.

News agency, Reuters, researched from a sample of 1,800 employees what exactly bothers them the most in the office. Before you become that employee, you should be mindful of a couple things that might bother a co-worker. Here are some of their findings:

In short: The most disruptive office pet peeve isn’t the noise or the mess, it’s the attitude: more employees named a grumpy or moody colleague their top annoyance than named any other single habit, according to the same Reuters survey.

The 5 most common office pet peeves

The Kitchen

Strong smells, dirty dishes, and not fully turning the faucet off. You’d think cleaning up after yourself would be an easy concept for people to grasp. Not washing your dishes in a company kitchen is disgusting and borderline unprofessional. The same goes for strong smelling foods. Don’t be the person that stinks up the whole office. Be mindful of everyone in the office, and leave the extra garlic pasta at home. As for the sink faucet being left on, you don’t have to be an environmentalist to want the best for your company. You can, however, make sure to fully turn off the sink before heading back to your desk.

Loud Noises

Making an unreasonable amount of noise is a sure way to annoy everyone around you. I’m not saying that you need to be a mouse in the office. In fact, casual talk and humor is encouraged in the office setting. I’m talking about noise levels that equate to a distraction. Loud noise can get annoying fast. Like, real quick. Besides cutting down productivity, being obnoxious on the phone can make coworkers feel disrespected. Using the speaker option to talk or listen to voicemails are simple examples of this pet peeve.  Or those people who chew their food/gum/ice just a little too loudly…

Not replacing something

Not replacing something has become NOTORIOUS and is listed as a huge dis-pleaser among employees, so much that it is listed as a top pet peeve among workspaces. Whether it’s replacing the paper cartridge when the printer’s empty, making a new batch of coffee after taking the last cup, or letting someone know there’s no more paper towels/ toilet paper. Paying it forward by replacing something is a fundamental act of showing respect for those you work with. Nobody wants to be the person to find out something’s empty/missing/or insufficient. Just replace something, don’t be that coworker.

Work time as personal time

Using work time as personal time. Pretty self-explanatory. Almost everyone has encountered this person. The co-worker who just can’t differentiate when to be professional and when to log onto Facebook every 15 minutes to post a youtube video. While these type of employees don’t typically last too long in the office, their actions can be a pet peeve to the rest of the workspace. Every now and then, it’s expected to take a personal call or log onto Instagram during lunch. That’s perfectly fine. We are all human– personal time is personal time, but it shouldn’t consume all (or most) of work time.

Grumpy or moody colleagues

Finally… the number one rated office pet peeve according to a survey by Reuters. Moods change like the weather, and no one wants to be influenced by a pessimistic team member. A whopping 37% of employees across the workforce listed grumpy colleagues as their number one office annoyance. A negative influencer, or “Debbie Downer” of the office, can lower productivity, create stress, and lead to potential arguments. While loud noises and dirty dishes are more easy to brush off, a negative attitude can linger on and on.

Pet peeves can be avoided by being mindful in the office and making sure respect is being communicated.

Do you have an office pet peeve that didn’t make the list?  Tweet your office pet peeve to CareerPlug’s Twitter @CareerPlug

Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales & marketing intern. 

The Pattern Behind the Peeves

40% of the employees in our survey have experienced conflict among coworkers in the last year. Here’s what a couple of employees had to say when we asked them to describe the experience:

“Not having people you work with be a team that works together; people becoming clique-ish and gossiping/spreading rumors.”

“Poor communication between different departments, lack of distinct supervisorial chain, back-stabbing to get promotions, no accountability individually.”

Conflict among coworkers not only contributes to a negative work environment, it can also affect productivity and lead to turnover. As an employer, dealing with conflict among coworkers can be difficult, but it’s important to take a proactive approach.

Frequently asked questions about office pet peeves

What’s the most common office pet peeve?

Moods change like the weather, and no one wants to be influenced by a pessimistic team member. A whopping 37% of employees across the workforce listed grumpy colleagues as their number one office annoyance.

Can a negative work environment really cause employees to quit?

In our recent Toxic Work Environment Report, we found that 86% of employees have experienced a workplace where a negative atmosphere — caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture — made it difficult to work or progress in their job. On top of that, 76% of employees said they have left a job because of a negative work environment.