Annoying colleagues you’re sure to find in a Singaporean office?
I’ve worked in different countries before but I Singaporean colleagues are by far the best AND the worst.
FWIW, Singaporeans are hardworking and efficient. But damn some are annoying asf.
I have a colleague sitting next to me that won’t stop singing and humming. It’s driving me up the wall. Cb all day he’s humming and singing. open excel sheet also must sing????
I was talking to another colleague about it over lunch and they shared some of their annoying colleague experience too. Have you guys got any to share?
Netizens’ comments
- Selfish. I got 2 colleagues with similar annoying traits. They are always asking help from people but don’t realise that others also have work to do, we are not paid to help them. Kena 1 colleague like this is already bad enough, we got 2.
- Bro it’s not just Singaporean offices… you have not experienced a Japanese coworker eating natto or stinky fish in a nearby cubicle. Or better yet, they use the only microwave in the office to heat up said stinky fish (and they made sure to use the microwave first at lunchtime).
- I cannot stand colleagues who treat the workplace like their home. Leave their shit lying around, don’t know how to clean up after themselves, shared desk cupboard space is used to store their crap which they never ever get rid off. And when you tell them to clear their stuff, it basically gets moved from point A to point B.
- Here’s the few I’ve experienced:
The “No concept of personal space” Person
- This person is the one always cutting their nails, digging their nose. Their barang-barang always spilling off the table into other’s space, or their feet extend past their table into others’. Use the office microwave to heat up their stinky food, or leave their smelly gym gear out in the open for all to smell.
The Gossipmonger
- This person always in everyone’s business. Will ask you 1 million questions about your personal life, everything from your PSLE score to your dating life. Then will proceed to tell everyone else about it, or gossip with others. If it’s an older person, usually it’s an aunty who does it to judge everything everyone does. If younger, then it’s someone overly-competitive and wants to compare.
The Cheapskate
- This person always pattern the same, go for lunch forgot wallet, alamak never draw money, bro can help me pay first? I pass you back later. But good luck seeing that money come back. If you call them out, be prepared to be called greedy or hear “wah $5 also cannot lend”. This type of person, also very commonly likes to pass comments on others. Wow, XX person went for holiday, she must be making $$$. Wah, today you order salad, expensive hor?
Honestly, these are just the major ones. There are probably a million more stereotypes I can come up with. But generally, when you spend every day with the same people, these little annoyances are bound to crop up.