# I pit the rude, lazy and annoying people in my office **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 13, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332 "2006-02-13T20:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/41 "2006-02-16T09:45:55Z")
This thread is the very reason I avoid the office coffee pot/fridge/dishes/sink/etc. I don’t want to have any part of this madness. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/42 "2006-02-16T11:46:55Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > Annoyance 1: > The guy sitting in the cubicle directly adjacent to me loves to chew ice cubes, with his mouth open, really loudly. **CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP slurp slurp** , all day long. I KNOW I should say something to him, but it’s awkward… I just think, doesn’t this idiot know that this loud chewing is annoying and offensive to his neighbors? > > Oh and it’s not just ice cubes. Most days for lunch he will eat a bag of chips, very loudly, with his mouth open. He eats the chips like he hasn’t eaten in a week and he’s starving, and he stuffs his mouth and chews really fast, with his mouth open. It’s disgusting. > > Annoyance 2: > We have aproximately 13 people in our office at any one time. We have a communal kitchen with a refrigerator and sink and communal dishes, glasses and silverware. Certain unknown people will eat a meal or drink a beverage with the community dishes and just leave their dirty dishes sitting in the sink. In the amount of time it takes you to bring your dish to the kitchen, place it in the sink, and fill it up with water, why not just wash the damn thing?? What, do they think their mother or wife is going to show up and wash it for them? The dirty dishes and the little bits of food sitting in the sink is disgusting. I jsut don’t get this mentality! > > You’d think professional adults would have more manners…!!! > > Please share with me your similar experiences and help me understand what makes people act like this!! While I love my company & 99% of the people I work with, I abhor the following: People who cannot grasp the basic tenet of science that understands in order to make ice, one must FILL UP THE FREAKIN’ ICE TRAY WITH WATER WHEN YOU’RE DONE WITH IT! The flip side of this? People who take _3_ cubes out and then FILL UP THE FREAKIN’ ICE TRAY WITH WATER! Free bagels on Friday - fabulous. Is it too much to ask that when you’re done dissecting your everything bagel that you take 30 seconds & clean up the area of crumbs, garlic shavings and sesame seeds? People who bring their sick kids to work because they’re out of sick/vacation/personal days. It usually occurs in November/December. It’s _disgusting_. Kids snotting all over the place. This goes for actual employees who insist on coming in when they’re mutant germ factories. Do not EVEN get me started on the bathrooms. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/43 "2006-02-16T14:50:38Z")
I’m with **nyctea** on the second annoyance, its why I have my own mug in the office and not one of the shared ones. More annoying (in our office) is the cretin who thinks that they can solve the issue of unwashed dishes by piling them up on the drying rack and then placing the drying rack on the worksurface :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/44 "2006-02-16T15:06:44Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@Fear Itself](#): > > > > Let me add my disgust at women who insist on applying makeup in their cubicle. This is a place of business, not your boudoir! And don’t get me started on the hair brushing. Keep it in the bathroom, girls! By “applying makeup” do you mean actually doing their whole face or simply putting on lipstick or dabbing a little powder on? If the former, then I agree, if only for the reason that they’ve already shown the world their face sans makeup, so why bother putting it on now. If you mean the latter, I really don’t see how it affects you if I take 10 seconds to shmear some lipstick on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/45 "2006-02-16T15:11:52Z")
> [@Veuve\_ClicquotNJ](#): > > \People who bring their sick kids to work because they’re out of sick/vacation/personal days. \ I think this is the second time I’ve read about people bringing their kids in to work here, and it makes me wonder how much this is actually happening. Work is the one place I can reliably expect to not have to deal with other people’s children, and you’re telling me that people are bringing their kids to _work_, too? And not even healthy, somewhat tolerable ones, but SICK ones? Ai me. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/46 "2006-02-16T15:17:59Z")
**featherlou** , I agree - I’m having a hard time figuring that too - I have never worked anywhere where this could even be a viable possibility! If it’s not being too nosy, could someone please tell me what type of workplace/company it is that is letting employees bring sick children to work? It isn’t that I don’t believe you, I DO - it’s just that it’s so out of the norm in my experience, I’d be interested in knowing. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/47 "2006-02-16T15:26:12Z")
As far as people who won’t clean up after themselves: what you’re dealing with here are people who have no shame, or are lazy, or have an entitlement mentality. The only way to get them to modify their behavior is for them to suffer consequences, the price of which outweighs the benefit they get from leaving their shit in the sink. Really, without consequences, what incentive do they have to change? Obviously, they don’t much care about social sanction - unless maybe you set up a video camera to catch them leaving their crap in the sink and then showing it at the Christmas party. And even then some people just won’t care or will get angry with _you_ for calling them on their shit. So, your choices are 1). consequences for them or 2). accepting you can’t change other people. Either do something effective or let it go. Cuz I can guarantee you a sign won’t do dick. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/48 "2006-02-16T17:35:49Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > **featherlou** , I agree - I’m having a hard time figuring that too - I have never worked anywhere where this could even be a viable possibility! > > If it’s not being too nosy, could someone please tell me what type of workplace/company it is that is letting employees bring sick children to work? > > It isn’t that I don’t believe you, I DO - it’s just that it’s so out of the norm in my experience, I’d be interested in knowing. Yes - it’s true. I don’t believe it’s actually _allowed_, you know. We are a fairly compassionate company re: single moms & the like, and understand that baby sitters are an iffy proposition at best. But yes, people here _do_ bring in their kids on occasion when the kids in question are sick. When I was preparing to have my GBS surgery in November, 2004, I was \ close to hanging garlic around my office door just in case. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/49 "2006-02-16T18:48:48Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > Cuz I can guarantee you a sign won’t do dick. Actually it has been working, so far. The culprits have been washing their dishes and not a single dish has been spotted in the sink over the past two days. By the way, I never told anyone it was me who posted the sign. The day after I posted it, one or more of the culprits went up to our part-time office assistant (who is usually the one who ends up cleaning up the abandoned dishes) and they apologized to her and said they were not going to leave dishes in the sink anymore. I heard the office assistant telling another coworker about this and I went over and divulged that it was me and they cracked up laughing! They loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/50 "2006-02-16T20:06:18Z")
Holy God! I can’t believe that!!! I guess my office idiots are more stupider than yours. Well, I guess congratulations are in order. And obviously you don’t work with salespeople. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/51 "2006-02-16T21:19:43Z")
> [@Veuve\_ClicquotNJ](#): > > Y\We are a fairly compassionate company re: single moms & the like, and understand that baby sitters are an iffy proposition at best. \ > VCNJ~ I don’t think “compassionate” is the word for letting people bring their kids to work, but that’s probably a whole 'nother thread. Good for you, **nyctea**. I would not have believed it possible based on what I’ve seen in so many offices. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/52 "2006-02-17T02:20:24Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > Holy God! I can’t believe that!!! > > I guess my office idiots are more stupider than yours. > > Well, I guess congratulations are in order. > > And obviously you don’t work with salespeople. 😃 Nope…salespeople are all gone, used them to grease the lawyer grinding machine\* 😃 \*non-doper lawyers that is 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/53 "2006-02-17T03:25:37Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > And obviously you don’t work with salespeople. 😃 God, so true. I work on the operations side of a sales team, and my coworkers and I have a file rack for salespeople to stick their new files. Then one of my coworkers decided to create a new system involving two file racks. The sales people were, however, supposed to keep putting their files in the same old rack they’d always been. The new rack is for our own purposes. She even, ahem, _put up a sign_ above the new rack, saying “do not put files here!” This was about three weeks ago. Since then, I have long ago lost track of how many people have asked me if they’re supposed to put files in the new rack now, or how many people I’ve caught trying to put files there. They’re so obtuse, it almost makes me wonder if they’re doing it on purpose, to make me crazy. Except there’s no way they could possibly come up with a plan that well-coordinated. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332/54 "2006-02-17T05:31:03Z")
Salespeople don’t do paper well. I suspect they even have trouble wiping themselves, but I could be wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-rude-lazy-and-annoying-people-in-my-office/344332.md?page=2)