39% of workers feel they don’t fit in with colleagues

Do your co-workers’ crazy antics make you question how you fit in at your current job? According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 39 percent of workers said they feel that they don’t fit in with their colleagues. The survey was conducted between November 5 and November 23, 2009, among more than 4,900 workers.

Comparing genders, more women (42 percent) than men (37 percent) report that they feel they don’t always fit in with their cube mates. When it comes to industries, health care, sales and professional and business services top the fields where workers feel that they don’t fit in with their colleagues, followed by leisure/hospitality and IT.

Workers shared some of the craziest things their co-workers have done on the job:

• Co-worker ate the cheese off the pizza box at a company meeting.
• Co-worker talks openly about flatulence.
• Co-worker in the cubicle next to me wears 3-D glasses with the lenses removed.
• Co-worker repeatedly bangs a mallet on the table for no apparent reason.
• Co-worker whistles eight hours a day.
• Co-worker chews tobacco and spits it into empty soda bottles.
• Former boss brought a baby sippy cup to a meeting and started drinking out of it.
• Co-worker cleaned fingernails using a counterpart’s business card while sitting in their office.

CareerBuilder’s 2010 Big Game TV advertising highlights workers who are questioning their current jobs because of workplace behavior. The TV ads can be viewed at www.careerbuilder.com/TV.

"Today’s workplace is made up of many different types of people and sometimes, behavior can come across as being crazy or inappropriate for the office," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. "Communication is key to dealing with co-workers’ behavior that may be impacting your ability to produce good work – for whatever reason. It is important to identify why their behavior is bothering you. Often, having a professional conversation with your co-worker will solve the problem and allow everyone to work in harmony."

Haefner offers the following tips for addressing co-worker issues:

• Talk it out: Talk professionally and honestly to your co-worker about his or her behavior. Be sure to do this in private and try not to embarrass anyone or make the situation worse.
• Take it to a higher level: Don’t be afraid to get your boss involved or talk to HR. If the behavior is having a negative impact on your ability to do your job, it might be time to call in the big guns.
• Mix it up: If you can’t come to an agreement with a co-worker who is bothering you, ask to be reseated in another area.