We all have our own pet peeves; things others do that frustrate or annoy us. These pet peeves are integrated into every part of our lives and some may even be specific to work. You may not intend to be annoying, but some behaviors may get on other people‘s nerves. Here are some of the most common work-related pet peeves and how to avoid them:
Reaching Out Off Hours
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check in casually or do something fun after hours with your work friends, although you should be careful about this too. The annoying thing is when you reach out with minorly important emails during someone’s free Saturday morning. This will make your co-workers think of you as disrespectful of their free time and inconsiderate in general. If an email or phone call can wait until the next workday, then wait.
Hovering
Do you check up on you co-worker’s work or quiz them on their progress on a specific project? If so, you might be hovering, more commonly called micromanaging. This greatly annoys your co-workers and makes them think you don’t believe they’re capable of their job. Instead of doing this, set clear expectations for your co-workers or employees at the beginning of a project and check in with them on set dates. This will keep you from hovering and keep your co-workers sane.
Overexplaining
Overexplaining can take many forms. You can be explaining something someone already knows or repeat yourself over and over. Both are seen as rude and condescending. Instead of repeating yourself, ask for clarification. Just because someone isn’t understanding a concept all the way doesn’t mean you need to start from the top. Explaining something your co-worker is already aware of can be prevented by clarifying gaps in knowledge or understanding before launching into a long–winded explanation that was unnecessary.
Follow this advice to avoid unintentionally annoying your co-workers.