Today’s Soap Box: What’s Your Business Pet Peeve?
April 23, 2008 by Bridget Wright
Filed under Business
[photo source: google.com images]
What really get’s you all up in the collar? People who don’t return emails? How about when someone cuts you off while you’re in the middle of a sentence? What about “non-team” players who want all of the credit?
Brown-nosers?
Yes Men?
What about managers who don’t give clear directions or bosses who want their coffee mugs filled all day long?
I shared one of my business pet peeves at my blog on work-at-home professionals today. Working in business whether it’s corporate America or in your PJ’s at home, there are all pet peeves that we have that get our dander up. So, maybe there’s not much you can do about it. But you can vent here. Maybe nothing will change. Maybe it will. But, I guarantee you’ll feel better about things, at least a little.
So give it a shot. Tell me, what’s your business pet peeve?
I know Shannon complains about this too: PR people that send you pitches for things that have NOTHING to do with your Web site.
I work in cube land, so there are plenty of people around me providing pet peeve fodder.
1) People who keep talking to you even when it’s obvious you’re working and not interested in what they have to say.
2) Catty women. You know, the ones who gossip in the bathroom about how so-and-so’s shoes don’t match her bag or that the young admin is obviously wearing a short skirt to attract her boss.
3) Along those same lines…gossip in general. I detest hearing about lay offs, sales, trysts, and policies that may or may not be happening. Everyone gets all worked up and it’s only true about half the time.
4) People who keep track of what other people are doing. I’m a salaried employee. That means I get paid a certain amount per year regardless of the number of hours I put in. Generally, that means I work far more than 40 hours a week. If I take a long lunch or go home early, why not assume my boss knows about it and is ok with it instead of gossiping about my bad work ethic behind my back?
5) Execs who don’t know when to stop talking. I can’t tell you how many execs I work with that will talk (usually in corporate mumbo jumbo) until they’re blue in the face while everyone around them is nodding and waiting for them to shut up so we can get on with our jobs.
Whew…that’s it…as far as WORK related pet peeves. :)
@Miranda, I do agree. I think those PR people are just sending random pitches and not really doing their homework or research. Quite annoying given that we put A LOT of thought and attention into our own businesses and websites, all to have it overlooked with a blank sales pitch.
@Sandie
Catty women…number two reason why I am glad I no longer work in corporate America! The office gossip is notorious and almost always incorrect at that. Although men can be catty too(!), it’s really bad when the office is full of people who are paid to do a job but spend their time worrying about insignificant stuff.
Sandie, why do we put up with it?
@Bridget Well, I have thought a lot about why I put up with it. I am new in my field – only a year and a half in “quality,” but six years in my company. When I got this job, it was based on my skills and potential – which meant I am being paid to go to school as well as learn the ropes in my job. I already have a degree, so this one will come faster – but I still won’t graduate until the Spring of 2010 if all goes as planned (and when does that ever happen with universities?).
Once my education is over, I’ll have three and a half years of experience in quality and I’ll owe my company another two years (or I’ll need to pay back tuition costs). So…I’m kinda planning on “putting up with it” for at least another five years.
After that…we’ll see. This whole freelancing thing may be a good way to go. Food Safety and Quality are big topics today and an experienced writer with a solid background and education may be able to make a living without having to sit in a cube all day.
Oh this one’s easy – the overuse of jargon. I cannot tell you how annoying it is to hear the words “value proposition” sixteen times a freakin’ day. During the dot com boom, I would receive a gazillion press releases spouting about “robust, fully scalable, end-to-end user-friend platform solutions.” One day, one of these offenders called to see if I’d received the press release. I decided to have some fun. I said, “It says here that your compay has a robust, fully scalable, end-to-end user-friend platform solution” – can you tell me what that is exactly?” Silence. It was hysterical. The dude had no idea what the hell he or his company was selling.
That would be “company”…. oy.