Biggest office gripe is noisy co-workers chomping on smelly lunch!

Workers who have bad eating habits have been revealed as the No.1 office gripe.

People are not only annoyed with colleagues who chomp loudly, but also those who bring in smelly food and who can't be bothered to wash up their mugs after a tea round.



The survey, carried out by Ainsley Harriott Cup Soup, also revealed that staff are sick of people turning up late, not listening and being talked over in the workplace.

But rather than confront irritating co-workers, it seems we would rather stay quiet.

A staggering 83 per cent of those polled preferred to avoid an awkward conversations and, for the brave 17 per cent who tackled the problem, the most popular method was face-to-face. Surprisingly, only two per cent chose the cowards way out of complaining via email.

In an effort to improve workplace manners, the soup brand has enlisted etiquette and protocol expert, William Hanson, to develop an 'Office Etiquette Guide'.

William said: "While the very British option may be to do and say nothing to your careless colleagues, it is best practice to deal with the problem directly."



The Office Etiquette Guide

1. Noisy eating – Take your colleague aside and alert them to your observation of their shocking eating habits. Always remember to be polite and tactful during this sensitive process.

2. Messy colleagues – Always use tact and humour in these situations and ask if your cluttered colleague is trying to colonise your desk as well as theirs.

3. Not washing up – The most democratic way to get round this office gripe is to revert back to primary school and assign kitchen monitors.

4. Smelly food – Keep a clothes peg nearby and practice holding your breath when the smelly food approaches.

5. Colleagues talking over you – Simply stop talking, sigh, type loudly and sit looking dejected while they chatter over you.

6. Clicking pens – Ask the clicker if they are okay or failing that, ask the boss for all company branded pens to be proper ones with lids!

7. Complaining of illness – Learn not to get too annoyed by this and play a game with your colleagues of 'guess what illness they'll have today'. Have a sweepstake and make it fun!

What gets your goat while you are at work? Tell us below and you could win £50!

Read more: Half of single men kiss married women at work Christmas party
Read more: Essex girls apparently the easiest to date in England