What winds you up in your PR office?

 25th July 2013    PR Guru 

What gets you most wound up in your PR job? Here are some of our most common sources of conflict:

1. The air conditioning. Some like it artic cold, while some like a warmer atmosphere. I love air conditioning, others try to open the windows for fresh air, and some feel the chill a bit too much. This argument can go on and on, and can get physical as people tussle over the controls of the AC.

2. Who ate the last samosa? Who bought the last packet of samosas? Usually me on both counts, but I only admit to the second.

3. Coffee. Everyone is particular about which type of coffee they like. And don’t even start about whose turn it is to buy it.

4. Lighting. We all love natural daylight, but when the sun shines directly on some screens, there can be calls for blinds to be drawn. These calls can often be overruled by those who like natural light.

5. Office seating. People get worked up when it comes to the next office move. Seating arrangements get scrutinised, and some people become very vocal if a) their seat appears to be in the “junior” section, or b) is nowhere near a window.

6. Music. The young/fun side of the office likes it on. Those of us who need to think when we work like it off. Even headphones aren’t a solution as this stops the “creatives” from showing off how creative they are.

7. Colleagues. Of course, the most irritating thing for everyone is other people. You can’t work with them, but can’t work without them … best thing is to wait until they have walked out the room before you let rip, or things could get nasty.

8. What time do you call this? Some people get upset about people arriving late. Then their colleagues get aggressive with them for being so petty.

9. Grammar. Does a split infinitive matter? Maybe not, but I have argued vehemently about the correct use of apostrophes. Is anyone listening?

10. Who knows? When I asked everyone in the office for a tenth reason why we are always at each other’s throats, we couldn’t agree …