According to a recent survey conduced by Snag A Job, the awards for most annoying co-worker go to:
In 5th place – ‘The Hypochondriac’ – 5% of votes cast
In 4th place – ‘The Loud Talker’ – 12% of votes cast
In 3rd place – ‘The Gossip Hound’ – 18% of votes cast
And finally in joint first position, with one third of the total votes each:
“Kiss-ups” and “Slackers”.
There is no doubt that many of these characterisitcs are common-place and often tolerated at work because managers are afraid of the consequences of consistently using feedback to help encourage the good behaviours and influence change around those that aren’t as successful.
This survey focuses on the negative characteristics of the workplace. What if we developed a list of the most effective co-workers and then encourages positive feedback around these characteristics. My guess is that it would have a greater net positive effect on performance and culture. Wh would make it onto the list? Here would be my nominations:
The Dependable – do what they do, when they say they will do it….
The Change Monkey – always looking to make things better…
The Listener – goes without saying…
The No-man – always happy to speak their mind – even if it means saying No!
Who would your nominations be?
Who have you already got in these roles? Do you appreciate them enough?
Can you use feedback and coaching to encourage more of these types of behaviour?