According to a recent poll by Monster.co.uk people you work with can be the main source of your work frustration. Messy and disorganised colleagues irritate 40% of office residents, while too much “management speak” is in  second place with 32%. And 16% are frustrated by too many meetings using up all your time.

Feeling frustrated when you have to work with messy or disorganised colleagues – who can hold you back in you work – is understandable. However, it may be that you messy pal isn’t aware of your true feelings.

Monster recommends the following tips when dealing with irritating people in your workplace:

• In an open-plan office it can be hard to escape office noise. Bring in headphones: listening to music or a self-development CD can be an effective way of reducing the background noise.
• Meetings are a necessary part of business life. However spending too much time in meetings can be detrimental to your performance and your business success – assess whether the meeting is always necessary, if you can use a teleconferencing facility or desktop sharing to achieve the same results.
• Use easy-to-understand language every time you speak or write, others in your business and those you deal with will follow suit shortly.
• Focus on employees’ strengths to achieve top performance. It will benefit the business as it will encourage higher productivity, more job satisfaction and commitment. Your colleagues will be motivated by tasks that interest them.
• Communicate with your colleagues and staff, provide honest feedback about their performance as well as relationships with other members of the team.

If you feel that your office is drowning in paper, files and assorted items – it’s time to use a professional de-clutterer. Many virtual assistants offer this service: they will come to your office for 1 or 2 full days and during this time convert it from a messy piles of papers, files and loose stationery to an organised, clear-desk environment which will enhance the productivity and motivation of your staff. Contact us now for a recommendation of a professional de-clutterer in your area.

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