First Written on August 23, 2008 Revised and Updated Sunday, August 24, 2008 The 'Terrible 10' Behaviors in the Workplace Think you can get away with leaving coffee in the sink, or smoking in front of a non-smoker? Maybe. But according to a new study, even if coworkers don't say anything about such rude behaviors, they are likely to harbor resentment about it. Through online survey researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the Jacob France Institute of the University of Baltimore identified workplace behaviors that irritate people the most. More than 1600 workers ranked bad behavior on a scale ranging from 1 (not offensive) to 5 (most offensive). The 'Terrible 10' List Based on those rankings, the "Terrible 10" behaviors are (from most to least offensive): 1. Employment discrimination. 2. Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others. 3. Taking credit for someone else's work. 4. Treating service providers as inferiors. 5. Mocking race, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, or religion. 6. Demonstrating open favoritism to selected workers. 7. Rude behavior in public by exercising vested authority. 8. Misusing handicapped privileges. 9. Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking. 10. Using cell phones or text-messaging in mid-conversation or during an appointment or meeting. Some actions, such as discrimination, may be illegal; but even more subtle behaviors, such as making a sexist joke or not asking before lighting a cigarette, still add to the stress of the daily grind and can actually lower productivity. "The research suggests that people are bothered more by the transgressions of coworkers and strangers than by those of family and friends," says P.M. Forni at Johns Hopkins. Civility Helps the Bottom Line Forni added that, although the survey did not explore the prevalence of these behaviors, years of anecdotal evidence suggest that taking credit for another's work, and text-messaging or cell-phone use during meetings are widespread annoyances. "These behaviors have a big impact on the quality of life for coworkers and on the bottom line as well," Forni tells "If we had better relationship skills, it would diminish the amount of stress in the workplace and eliminate a lot of misery." People in high positions need to understand that such behaviors will impact bottom line and productivity of organizations References & Acknowledgements: The above paper sent by my friend Mr. Natesan Sukumar, who in turn received it from his friend at John Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. Copyright, if any, is acknowledged. The views, opinions and interpretations are personal. Sponsorship does not mean that the sponsors endorse them. Editorial Policy © Copyright, Aug-08 . www.madgopes.com . Without prejudice. All rights reserved www.mmgindia.com is the official website of Madras Management Group, Chennai, India. www.madgopes.com and www.mmg.name are personal websites and all editorials are published under their banner to retain editorial independence. We would highly appreciate feedback from readers and it may be sent to ipr@mmg.name.