The blistering heat may have seen workers fuming over a lack of air conditioning. But from jammed printers to rotten food, new research discovers there are things far more irritating in the office.
Polling 2,000 office employees, Ebuyer, the online tech retailer, found poor hygiene to be a huge workplace irk, with filthy toilets topping the list of annoyances, followed by sinks flooded with dirty crockery. In third place, printers getting stuck enraged many while fridges becoming the home of mouldy food or rancid milk was fourth as unbearable room temperatures rounded off the top five.
Making it clear that food-related peeves reign supreme, the list’s lower half shows noisy eaters, lunch being stolen from the fridge, milk not being shared and kitchen spills all grind people’s gears.
Given these disturbances collectively get 58% of respondents infuriated more than once a week and merely 6% less than once a month, it’s clearly an issue regularly impacting productivity more than just peace of mind.
Commenting on the findings, Beth Wadlow, marketing manager at Ebuyer, said: “Busy days often mean that we get wound up much more easily at work than we do at home but we all have colleagues that don’t help that situation at all.”
Indeed, it’s something which respondent Malcolm, a recruitment consultant from Slough, can’t agree more on. “People are often unwilling to clean up their own mess and leave the toilet suitable for the next person,” he said. “They need to learn that the toilet brush is not their enemy and that a spray of air freshener can go a long way. As can an email to the facilities manager, explaining they’ve just blocked the toilet for whatever reason.”
So there you have it – keep things ship shape around the office to draw the best from your employees. 
