Voices

Hand in sloppy work and gossip in the office? You might be an annoying coworker

Careless workers need not apply, according to a recent Accountemps survey in which 41 percent of interviewed chief financial officers said lacking attention to detail and presenting sloppy work are the coworker behaviors that annoy them most.

Gossiping or engaging in office politics were the second most irking traits, cited by 23 percent of respondents.

Developed by Accountemps, the specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, the survey was conducted by an independent research firm interviewing 1,400 CFOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with more than 20 employees.

Listed are the percentages for each response when asked: Which one of the following coworker behaviors annoys you the most?

•    Lacking attention to detail, sloppy work: 41%
•    Gossiping or engaging in office politics: 23%
•    Missing deadlines: 18%
•    Being perpetually late: 12%

•    Presenting other's ideas as one's own: 5%
•    Don't know/no answer: 1%

"Having to constantly double-check someone else's work is a sure recipe for tension between coworkers," said Accountemps Chairman Max Messmer in a statement. "The success of any team depends on everyone carrying his or her weight."

Messmer also advises against excess water cooler chatter.

"Office politics can damage your credibility. The most successful professionals build relationships with colleagues—they need this level of trust for effective collaboration."

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