Small talk | Workers say awkward office conversation at AGONISING level

Awkwardly exchanging small talk with colleagues that you either don’t know very well or have no intention of being friends with is a mildly taxing, yet necessary part of workplace etiquette.

Whilst some workers may be frustrated by the need for small talk – and actively avoid random meetings with colleagues – most workers would agree that these are tolerable mainly due to their rare occurrence. After all, saying hello and asking someone how they are once or twice a week isn’t the end of the world, is it?

However, according to research conducted by OnePoll, the actual frequency of awkward office pleasantries is far higher than most professionals may believe. The study, which surveyed the working habits and behaviours of over 2,000 employees, found that the average worker actually has to endure 21 variations of the ‘awkward office small talk’ conversation per week.  

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This, the study states, has a very logical correlation with the 19 coffees, teas and other hot drinks that the average worker makes from Monday to Friday, whilst pre and post-meeting time also presents small talk obligation opportunities – as does queueing for the office microwave at break times.