June 10, 2008 • Uncategorized •

Ten on Tuesday: Workin’ it, annoyingly

10 Things That Annoy You About Work

What, we have to stop at ten?

We had a similar topic last summer, “10 Things You Don’t Like About Your Job,” so I thought I’d start with those and see if anything has changed (last year’s item is in italics, with a strikeout if it doesn’t apply anymore, and no follow-up comment if it’s still about the same).

  1. The commute Still annoying, but now I’m paying more for the privilege of being annoyed by it, thanks to gas prices currently exceeding $4.25 per gallon (!).
  2. The perpetual sense of crisis The time-wasting meetings
  3. The way it seems that no one really knows what anyone else does The meetings that I probably should be part of, but no one remembers to tell me about them
  4. The pervasive low-level anxiety
  5. The way it seems like no one really cares, or wants to learn, what anyone else does Not being able to get the information you need when you need it – or to find the person who has the information
  6. The difficulty in getting people to follow proper procedures and channels Rules are still for other people, it seems…
  7. The cliquishness
  8. The territoriality of some departments The turnover in some departments – you barely get used to someone doing a particular job, and they’re gone
  9. The hoarding of information The way it feels like…well, work
  10. The seeming lack of interest in knowing what the procedures actually are, or should be We just don’t have all that much fun around the office. Considering how much of our time we have to spend there, some fun might be…well, fun, you know?

I was in the midst of a seriously lousy work year when I did the previous list. Things are better now – we’re back to full staffing in my department, people are learning their jobs, and I’m not constantly behind anymore – so I think I’m feeling a bit less negativity about my job generally. That doesn’t mean I no longer find aspects of it annoying, but I’m glad that some of the annoyances have changed.

However, there are some days when going to work at all just annoys me, period. 🙂

How about you – are there some things about work that annoy you, or do you love it unconditionally?

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11 comments

  1. Can we add construction to commute list of complaints? Argh. I remember when gas prices were $4. Those were the days.

    I’m especially annoyed right now with how little my fellow supervisors think beyond themselves. I want to know how I can get away with coming in four hours late each day too! Or what about leaving early, taking a long lunch, and not doing any work while in the office?

  2. Literary Feline – As a fellow SoCal commuter, Wendy, you can add any complaint you want to that category :-).

    Are you sure we don’t work for the same agency? Some of your coworkers sound rather like a few I know. I think this all falls in with #6 on the list.

  3. I work with many people who think the rules don’t apply to them. Then the rules get changed because of them, and they break those, too. Very annoying.

    I haven’t done my list. I’m waiting until I’m not at work. Just in case… 🙂

  4. Mike – Ever notice how much of the really irritating stuff in life is about other people? I told my husband the other day,”I have
    specific exceptions to this, but sometimes, in general, I just hate people.”

    Probably a smart thing not to do your list at work :-).

  5. I stumbled upon your site while visiting Books On The Brain. I was just wondering if you and I work in the same building. LOL. Everything you mentioned is what I experience on a day to day basic. My motto: You can’t fix stupid.

  6. Ti – No, you can’t fix stupid; and unfortunately, you can’t make it illegal either :-).

    Thanks for coming by, and hope to see you around!

  10. i am glad there was an improvement in your office. But I agree there are times that reporting for work is annoying.

    mine is here! hope you can visit. thanks!