Office working in the twenty first century

One of the best things about working in an office is all the amazing characters you meet. These can be everyone from your inspiring colleague who arrives first every day and keeps you motivated, to the cafeteria folk who keep you going with their tasty treats and coffee.

Of course, within this mix there’s the ‘characters’, those who you love dearly but, sometimes, make you want to tear your hair out! This is EH20 Business Centre’s guide to dealing with the five characters every office has!

1. The Noisy Eater

Research has shown that it is good to eat your lunch away from your desk, and with EH20 Business Centre being only a few minutes walk from a beautiful wooded valley, this makes it an appetising proposition.

There are those, however, who like to sit at their desk, bring up YouTube and munch away on their BLTs and packet of crisps. And the noise of their chewing can be as infuriating as any klaxon. It’s a real problem too – people who find these noises unbearable may be suffering from misophonia, according to researchers from Newcastle University.

How to deal with them

There are the obvious options – put your headphones in, leave the office and go for a walk yourself, or just come clean and explain the situation like an adult. We have a far more fun solution though.

Stare at them. Go on, stare hard. Who likes to be watched when they are eating? Who wants to be caught with a dollop of mayonnaise down their chin? Who is proud at having lettuce caught between your teeth? Exactly – no-one! A good old stare does wonders.

2. The Fitness Maniac

Working in an office is not necessarily the most active of roles. Many of us drive to work, and drive back, with the majority of our days spent sitting on our backsides. This isn’t the healthiest of lifestyles, which is why all workers at EH20 Business Centre have access to the on-site gym and shower facilities to encourage a non-sedentary and balanced lifestyle.

But there’s always one, isn’t there? That person who takes it too far. The ultra-marathon runner. The cyclist who rides 20 miles each morning before work. That guy on a five a-side football team who always boasts about his supreme striking skills. These are all great achievements – but do you have to go on about it? All. The. Time?

How to deal with them

There’s only so much chat about how fit your colleagues are before you want to explode. It’s great to be supportive of their hobbies – but only up to a point! So let’s see how supportive they are of your cake baking stories, or your video game marathons, or your hours spent lounging in your garden reading a good book. That’ll make them think twice about telling you how unfit you are next time!

3. The Over-The-Shoulder Peerer

When dealing with complicated spreadsheets or social media analytics, concentration is key. But have you ever been so engrossed in something that you haven’t realised you’re no longer alone?

Let us introduce to you the over-the-shoulder peerer, that colleague who doesn’t want to disturb you, but sees your monitor and becomes very interested in what you are doing. Slowly, they crane their neck around your head, creeping ever so slightly towards you, until you can smell their Costa Coffee breath down your neck.

How to deal with them

There are numerous ways to deal with an OTSP. A funny look, a subtle shift away on your chair, or even bringing up your desktop screen. Our favourite way, however, is give them a fright by nonchalantly typing something like “Don’t say anything, but I think MI5 are spying on us”. Always does the trick.

4. The Spoiler

Did you see Game of Thrones last night? It was brilliant, I can’t believe they killed that guy, and that woman did that thing before that monster destroyed that really important building. Or how about the latest Avengers movie? Or JK Rowling’s The Cursed Child?

Every office needs breaks for chat, otherwise we’d go mad. The range of office sizes available at EH20 Business Centre for hire mean that you can find the right space for however employees you may have.

It’s bad enough when you have to avoid social media until you catch the latest episode of your favourite show or movie or play, but when you are afraid to even walk into your place of work for fear of hearing who died and who survived, then it’s time to take action. The Spoiler is one of those work colleagues who gets pleasure in being the first to know, and revels in the being the first to tell everyone they meet.

How to deal with them

This is a hard one. The Spoiler can reveal plot details at any moment, often without advance warning. This means your reactions have to be razor sharp – your fingers constantly at the ready to plug into your ears and a rendition of “Flower of Scotland” ready to be hummed at a moment’s notice.
Of course, if you wanted to be really mean you would see the movie first and turn the tables, but we can’t advocate that sort of behaviour. Can we?!

5. The Pun Monster

I used to work at an origami factory, until it folded.

I just got a new job installing mirrors, which I’ve always seen myself doing.

I had a big row with my wife this morning before we went to the dentist together. We haven’t talked properly since.

Everyone likes a good pun – a fun play on words that make you groan first, then chortle afterwards. There is a limit to how many puns you can take in an office, and a limit to how often you can fake a smile.

But there’s always one, isn’t there? One person who can’t hold their puns in, who splurts them out with so much speed and power that it is overwhelming. Brits are renowned for being polite, but how much can we take?

How to deal with them

There are many ways we can suggest to deal with the office Pun Monster. You can try outpunning them with your own. A pun-off, one might say. Or try thinking of your happy place and let them finish their stint. Or not laughing – that always annoys them!

But our best advice for the Pun Monster is this: Get to the punchline first. Beat them to the laugh. Oh my, nothing annoys the Pun Monster more than having an obvious pun that is guessed by another. You could say they are getting a fair pun-ishment (sorry).

So the next time you’re faced with an interesting character at work, use our tips to help you through the day! And if you are interested in joining us here by renting some office space, get in touch to find out more.