
Every office harbours staff with irritating afflictions – the loud-chewer, the scent-sharer, the voice-projector, the foot-tapper, the sink-clogger – but what if you had a real office disease? I’m not talking a small case of microwave messing here; I’m talking about something terminal. It might even be the reason you have felt yourself heading towards office exile.
Annoying co-workers are a universal complaint, and no doubt, whether you suffer from any of these diseases or not, you will find it cathartic to direct these definitions to your long-suffering comrades. And you shouldn’t feel bad if you do: a study at the University of Amsterdam found that not only are offices rife with gossip – it makes up 90 per cent of conversation! – but that it is essential for productivity and camaraderie to talk about each other’s shortcomings.
So whether you’re a victim of the disease or suffering from the fallout, to hell with doctor–patient confidentiality! Share this around, have a good vent, and then get down to treatment, because these are productivity’s top killers.
Know of some other diseases infecting your workplace? Let us know in the comments below!