PERSONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
ANNOYING HABITS by Jo Kangurs, KeystoneHR
We spend more time with our work colleagues than we do with our family and friends so the chances are you have come across someone who’ s mannerisms or behaviours drive you a little bit crazy.
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A number of surveys have been carried out recently which have identified the most annoying employee habits. These include:
• Talking too loudly on the phone
• Bring smelly lunch in to work and eating it at your desk.( Also on subject of food, taking other people’ s food or leaving mouldy food in the fridge.)
• Whistling or singing at your desk( and this usually applies to the ones that can’ t hold a tune)
• Opening the window or adjusting the air con to suit yourselves without any consideration for others in the office.
• Using office jargon. You know the kind,“ blue sky thinking”,“ helicopter view”….
I’ ve also come across an employee who had a bell on his desk and every time someone sneezed in the open place office, he would ring it and shout“ sneeze alert.”
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Also, a very senior manager who used to take a teddy bear into meetings and insist that everyone in the room introduce themselves to the bear before the meeting could commence.
Whilst most of the time everyone gets along just fine, occasionally there is the risk that annoying and disruptive behaviour can escalate in to bad feeling and distract employees from focussing on their roles.
So what is the best way to tackle these annoying habits?
Firstly, that there is no‘ one size fits all’ solution and every situation is different. It is important to identify what impact the employee’ s behaviour is having on productivity, morale, team working etc. and if it is having a detrimental impact, you need to tackle it as quickly and as sensitively as possible.
More often than not employees may
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not be aware that their behaviour or habit is distracting those around them so a quite word might be all it takes. However, some issues may require a specific policy to be communicated to all staff or a general principle that clearly defines how employees are expected to behave within the workplace.
Whatever approach is taken it is important to remember that we are all human. We all have an annoying habit or two, so before deciding whether or not to address the issue, carefully consider the potential outcomes and remember that what the employee brings to the business may far outweigh any annoying habits.
If you have any potentially tricky employee issues you would like to discuss please get in touch for a free, no obligation chat.
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For more info: www. keystonehr. co. uk
@ keystone _ hr
Nicola McHale is Vistage chair for the South West, a private advisory group for business leaders. To complement our‘ Top 100’ feature Nicola gives her advice on how to rise to the top.
What makes a top 100 business?
So what makes the difference that makes the difference?
Have you got what it takes? Maybe you are already there, but want to make it to the top 10?
After working in my own business and growing it from nothing to a company with 22 global business coaches, working across the world with a subsidiary in Singapore and as your local Vistage Trusted Peer Advisory Group Chair, here are my thoughts.
1 KNOW YOUR NUMBERS Ask yourself- do you know and have the KPIs that really drive your business forward? Do you have the financial numbers ready to hand, in the form you need and do you fully understand them? Are you focussed on achieving successful results?
2 SHARED VISION Do you have one? Is it shared, clear and inspirational? Does everyone understand it? Do they know what part they play in it? Do they know their‘ make or break activity’ which must be done to deliver the vision? Create a shared vision and values owned by all. 3 PEOPLE Do you have the right people? If not, why not? Are you good at exiting the wrong people in the right way at the right time? Is your recruitment process consistent with your vision and values? Do you have a robust performance management system? Are your people really engaged? Do you know what motivates them? Recent Gallup figures suggest that only 19 % of your people are actively engaged, 61 % not engaged and 20 % actively disengaged.
4 CUSTOMERS Are you customer centric? Do you understand the huge correlation between employee engagement and customer engagement? Are you confident that every interaction with your customers is a positive one? Do you survey to see how your customers feel about your business? Do YOU engage with them?
5 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Are you at the front edge of innovation? Do you know the trends in your business sector, do you know what your competitors are doing? Are you confident your services will still be relevant in the future or do you need to change now?
6 LEADERSHIP Are you a great leader? Are your people loyal to you? Do they feel trusted by you? Are your senior leader’ s great leaders too? Do you have a fantastic team below you? Do you have high performing people? Do you invest in them? Are you open to learn? Are you good at delegating? Leading a business is stressful, it can be a lonely place and you can feel isolated so the most successful leaders have someone to turn to, someone to help them build their business. That someone should not have a vested interest. They should challenge you in every way. The Vistage Trusted Peer Advisory Group does just that. A Group of CEOs, MDs and business owners meet regularly to solve the members issues. Why not join one?
Nicola McHale Vistage Chair and
VI International Master Coach
nicola. mchale @ vistagechair. co. uk Mobile- 07887 616606 UK. linkedin. com / nicolamchale
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