More than 600 workers and college students in the Baltimore area 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):
10.Employment discrimination.
9.Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.
8.Taking credit for someone else's work.
7.Treating service providers as inferiors.
6.Mocking race, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, or religion.
5.Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.
4.Littering.
3.Misusing handicapped privileges.
2.Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking.
1.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, director of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins.
What are your pet peeves? One of mine is being interrupted when I'm talking, or someone who hogs a conversation - actually, making it not a conversation, but a one-sided diatribe.
The 'Terrible 10' List
Based on those rankings, the "Terrible 10" behaviors are (from most to least offensive):
10.Employment discrimination.
9.Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.
8.Taking credit for someone else's work.
7.Treating service providers as inferiors.
6.Mocking race, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, or religion.
5.Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.
4.Littering.
3.Misusing handicapped privileges.
2.Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking.
1.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, director of the Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins.
What are your pet peeves? One of mine is being interrupted when I'm talking, or someone who hogs a conversation - actually, making it not a conversation, but a one-sided diatribe.
