The average person spends around 84,365 hours at work in their lifetime—allowiing for a lot of small talk, or rather, opportunities to annoy your peers. And now, as more people ditch working from home, the printing company Digital ID surveyed 3,500 people to find out what their biggest office pet peeves were this year.
The results? There’s bad news for keen TikTokers or “cold water swimmers”—you’re seriously annoying your team.
“While these new-age icks are relatively harmless and often add character to the workplace, they also highlight the diverse lifestyles and preferences that exist within an office,” the HR team at Digital ID said.
“Navigating these icks requires a balance between tolerance, understanding, and setting clear boundaries to ensure a harmonious and productive work environment.”
Essentially, workers who want to be more popular in 2024 would be wise to ditch—or at least, minimize—the following gestures at work.
TikTokers
In a world where social media has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, it’s no surprise that TikTok has found its way into the professional realm.
While capturing what’s in your lunch box or your outfit of the day might not irk your peers, engaging in dance challenges and lip-sync battles right in the middle of the office floor probably will.
“While it adds a bit of fun and vibrancy to the work environment, it can also be a distraction for those trying to concentrate on their tasks,” Digital ID said.
Unless your role is “social media editor”, you should ask yourself whether your actions are erring on the side of unprofessional before whipping out your phone to film at work.
Office vapers
Next on the list of office irritations is vaping. The reason for this is that while smokers (obliged by law) head outside for a fifteen-minute cigarette break, vapers have made a habit of puffing away indoors.
So, what’s the problem? It’s not like vapers are condemning those around them to inhaling secondhand tar or carbon monoxide.
Rather, it’s the sickly sweet flavors that simply aren’t to everyone’s taste. “Not everyone appreciates walking through a cloud of Cotton Candy or Green Apple scents on their way to a meeting,” Digital ID said, adding that in-office vaping bans should be considered by employers wishing to nip this ick in the bud.
Cold Water Swimmers
Starting your day with a morning dip in the ice-cold water, a la ‘Iceman’ Wim Hof, while the majority of workers are still asleep is certainly impressive.
Still, smugly talking about the gruesome healthy habit won’t make you popular—except perhaps among fellow “cold water swimmers” in your team.
Digital ID said: “It often leads to an unintended division between the health enthusiasts and those who prefer their morning routine to be a bit more… temperate.”
‘Always-On’ Gen Z
Workers were hoping to see the back of an “always on” working culture, as the silver lining to return to office mandates is supposedly leaving your laptop behind when 5 p.m. arrives—and with it, the end of work.
But Gen Z is killing that dream. The youngest generation of workers are apparently chronically online and clearly annoying a sizable chunk of older colleagues.
While respondents praised young workers for being highly responsive due to being always online, they reportedly begrudge that it blurs the lines between work and life.
