Brits spend two weeks a year at work complaining

The average worker spends the equivalent of two weeks a year grumbling – with the top gripes about IT, air con and printers, a study has found.

Researchers say the typical employee will also find time to whine about unnecessary staff-all emails – and uncomfortable chairs.

Other problems which drive staff mad are the temperature of the office, commuting, people pulling sickies and a phone call just as you’re about to leave.

Common gripes, which generally take up a total of 20 minutes of the working day, include the amount of junk mail received, being copied into emails that are of no concern and someone stealing a favourite mug.

In addition, irritable Brits can’t stand it when someone smells out the office with stinky food, or turns on the freezing cold air conditioning.

IT issues form a major part of the top 50 list of grumbles – as workers complain about computers which are too slow or crash, printers jamming or breaking down and a bad phone signal.

The study shows getting a phone call when you’re just about to leave the office is the biggest grumble.

Others are frustrated by colleagues who are difficult to work with or who suck up to the boss, and also those who take credit for work they didn’t do.

Common British gripes, which take up 20 minutes of the average working day, include junk mail, colleagues who eat strong-smelling food (file pic), and someone stealing a favourite mug

Common British gripes, which take up 20 minutes of the average working day, include junk mail, colleagues who eat strong-smelling food (file pic), and someone stealing a favourite mug

Unrealistic deadlines, ‘meetings about meetings’, office jargon and everyone ignoring a ringing phone can also make work life irritating.

Others moan about their insensitive boss, or those who choose to micro-manage everything.

Embarrassing team building exercises, having to engage in small talk and being asked to desk share are other common complaints.

TOP 20 OFFICE GRUMBLES 

1. Getting a phone call when you’re literally about to leave the office

2. Computers being slow

3. IT issues

4. The temperature being too low/high

5. No air conditioning

6. Computers crashing

7. Printers jamming or breaking down

8. Colleagues who are difficult to work with

9. When someone uses your desk when you’re away and leaves it messy

10. Freezing cold air conditioning

11. Being in the office when the weather is lovely

12. Having meetings about meetings

13. People not replying to your emails

14. When someone calls in sick when you know they aren’t ill

15. Being copied into emails that are of no concern

16. Colleagues who suck up to the boss

17. Colleagues who talk too much

18. People who loudly complain about how busy they are

19. People not saying thank you when you’ve helped them out

20. The commute 

Researchers also found two thirds of people are most likely to grumble to other colleagues; one in 20 will start moaning the minute they step foot in the office.

Another 15 per cent admitted they ‘whinge all day long’.

But most are unlikely to do anything about their work worries – with more than two thirds owning up to the fact they wouldn’t confront a colleague who was annoying them.

Another six in ten would never say anything about their ‘ridiculous workload’.

Office workers are most likely to make a noise about IT going wrong, with half of those polled complaining about the state of their computer or printer.

Seven in 10 admitted they often feel irritable at work, and 52 per cent say their whole working day can be ruined by just a few ‘bugbears’.

Other factors that affect how good a day is going to be include what the traffic is like on the way in (35 per cent), and how much work there is to do (43 per cent).

A further quarter say their day is affected by whether or not the boss is going to be in, while 27 per cent say how early they wake up can ruin the day ahead.

Geoffrey Dennis, Chief Executive of international animal charity SPANA, which provides free veterinary treatment to working animals in developing countries, said: ‘It’s clear that there’s no shortage of annoyances in the workplace that raise people’s blood pressure on a daily basis.

‘From pointless meetings to colleagues who use your favourite mug, these frustrations seem to be part and parcel of office life in Britain.

‘It can be hard to keep a sense of perspective at times, but we should remember that most of these irritations are trivial and very minor compared to the tough working lives endured by working animals in developing countries around the world.

‘These animals often doing back-breaking, dangerous work with little rest and no holidays or retirement at the end of it. That’s why they desperately need our support.’

Unrealistic deadlines, 'meetings about meetings', office jargon and everyone ignoring a ringing phone can also make work life irritating

Unrealistic deadlines, ‘meetings about meetings’, office jargon and everyone ignoring a ringing phone can also make work life irritating

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