WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: What's the Biggest Co-Worker Pet Peeve? THIS.

refrigerator fridge food leftover note – Maura Myles image

Workplace advice columnist Alison Green says office drama mainly originates from just one problem: Those passive-aggressive notes. Sometimes it’s a sticky one, on the fridge… Sometimes it’s a full page on the printer…

While notes are usually written to address careless or irresponsible behavior… like stealing someone’s food… Green says there’s an unexpected escalation factor: The more angry the note seems, the more it tends to be ignored. An angry note could also trigger coworkers to act even worse.

Leaving a polite note, without the underlining or all caps, is a better solution to the problem, she says. Green adds that it’s good to avoid using exclamation marks.

Sometimes, good humor may de-escalate the bad feelings. A funny response may help; but that, too, may come off as inappropriate or snarky. Best to just stay out of it. Try to remember courtesy for others.

It goes a long way, in this social-media-shade-throwing world.

Learn more, here: (Slate)

[PS – Here are some of my favorite office notes, from the DailyFunny… They’re funny, because they’re not ours, right? LOL]