What Bad Sportsmanship Says About You

By Juanita Ecker

A few weeks ago, Tiger Woods spit on the green and was fined $100,000 for bad sportsmanship. Suppose you got fined at work every time you were rude or disrespectful to others. Would you act differently? Would you think twice about your behavior?

When someone makes an etiquette breach at the office, they aren’t benched or issued a heavy fine. They may get a warning from HR, but more than likely it will merit only a so-called passive aggressive note directed at the entire office. Of course, some of this behavior is so irritating to the rest of us that we may wish the offender would get fined or dismissed in some workplace penalty box.

When I conduct business seminars in the corporate world, I’m often privy to the complaints that employees have about their workplace and fellow co-workers. Stolen lunches, disruptive phone calls, poor bathroom etiquette… it may sound petty, but it all stacks up. If you consider how much time we all spend in the office, the slightest nuisance or sign of disrespect can be amplified into a major issue.  

So what actions really get under people’s skin? According to the employees I’ve spoken with, these are some of the most common complaints.

-Taking someone’s food or lunch out of the communal refrigerator. A friend shared with me that someone took her lunch. When she walked around the office, she found a co-worker eating the lunch she had packed that day. Furious, she told this person that since he had taken her lunch he should give her money to buy a replacement meal. The culprit refused. 

-Taking a stapler off of someone’s desk when they are not there and forgetting to return it.  

-Clipping your fingernails at your desk and letting the trimmings fly all over.

-Putting a call on speakerphone when everyone else is trying to work.

-Not having voicemail on your phone so that it rings and rings when you have stepped away from your desk.

-E-mailing jokes or silly forwards that clog up everyone’s inbox.

-Not saying hello or good morning to people when you enter the building.

-Walking into someone’s cubicle and talking without first saying, “Can I interrupt you for a minute?”

-Eating smelly food at your desk.

-Taking credit for work that was done by a team.

-Texting or taking calls during meetings.

-Holding up a project because you have not returned your part in a timely manner.

-Leaving food in the refrigerator until it gets moldy.

-Leaving your coffee mug in the sink. Who do you think is going to wash it?

-Leaving the copier machine empty or jammed when you used it last.

-Borrowing money for lunch and forgetting to pay it back.

-Taking your shoes off when you are at your desk (no one wants to smell your feet).

-Taking long lunches or repeated cigarette breaks.

-Using the last of the coffee pot and not filling it up.

-Goofing off on the Internet when you’re meant to be working.

-Taking lots of personal phone calls.

-Leaving the restroom messy.

Sound familiar? If you do any of these things, challenge yourself to stop. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it’s bad for company morale. Try to be more considerate!

What’s your pet peeve at work? E-mail me and we will address it in future blog posts.

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