Bad Trends In The Workplace

Filed in archive Operations , Trends on July 19, 2010

© hugochisholm

We all want a workplace that is pleasant and won't give us unnecessary stress in the office.

Here are some work place trends we all would rather live without:

Having to appear busy. Do we really have to appear stressed out at work? Can't we get appreciated at work if we don't look like we're overwhelmed? Wouldn't it be nice if we can just show our real worth by simply doing well and being efficient in our jobs?

Having open cubicles. Gone is the privacy at work. Everything you say and do will be heard and seen now.
Colleagues become clueless about each other. Our coworker becomes inconsiderate, talking so loudly while on personal calls.

Overemphasis on jargon and inappropriate clichés. People use terms like value-add, brain-dump, and incentivize.

The dreaded company potluck. Companies no longer pay for social gatherings among employees. We now all have to bring in food for potlucks. And there's never enough room in the fridge to cram it in. And then you have to stand in line and heat it up in a 10-by-10-inch microwave.

The company restaurant lunch. Those businesses that can still pay for occasional lunches for a select group of employees don't make them easy to swallow. Your boss takes you to an upscale chain restaurant at the dead end of a mall. Then you sit around feeling like you're at a wake, but no one talks. No one says anything even slightly controversial, or personal.

Doing personal hygiene publicly. You get hit by flying fingernails while a colleague clips away. Then another applies deodorant while chatting with coworkers.