How many hours of each day, week, month and year do you spend atwork? The workplace is your home away from home, which means thatmaintaining a happy work family is important for everyone'ssake.

We're sure your credit union strives to make coming to work afun experience, while also having a chocolate stash nearby in casesomeone gets cranky come the afternoon energy crash. And so, here'sa list of the worst office offenders, both from online sources andeditorial staff, and some tips on how to solve these trickysituations.

Don't see some of your work pet peeves? Leave them in thecomments below.

15. Thekitchen slob

“Why do I have to clean this when we have a cleaning crew?” Iheard someone say once. Well, because there is no such a thing as acleaning crew, period. There's nothing worse than smelling andtouching other people's dirty dishes left for days on end in theshared kitchen sink.

How to avoid it: Don't be a slob. If yourmom didn't tolerate dirty dishes in the sink, what makes you thinkthat your coworkers will? Clean up after yourself. Bonus: This way,you won't have to know what three-day-old Hamburger Helper smellslike anymore.

No one likes to be the “mom” of the office, but cleaning upafter someone else is never fun. If someone else is the dirty sinkoffender, make sure that the rules are known. Another way that youcan “catch” the offender is by having everyone put their name ontheir mugs, plates, etc. That way if Bernice's mug is in the sink,we all know who is supposed to clean it.

14. Dirtykeyboards

Look at your keyboard: Is there a strong chance that you mightfind crumbs from last year's lunch in there? Now, think about thetypes of bugs that you might be attracting to your work area.Unless you're the Snow White of the bug world, most people wouldreally dislike having a roach community on or near their desks. Andlet's not even talk about rodents …

How to avoid it: Try to be careful if you'reeating at your desk. Clean up spills and clear out crumbs as soonas they happen. That way, the dirt doesn't have time to stick tosurfaces, which later becomes a pain to remove.

If you're the unlucky person who has to sit next tosticky-fingers' keyboard, talk to your boss and make sure thatthere's a clean desk/office area rule in place.

13. The no-hands washer/ “I'll just use handsanitizer”

There's a reason why many restaurants prominently display signsnoting that “employees must wash hands.” Anyone in the medicalprofession will tell you that many diseases could be avoided by agood hand washing. This is also why preschoolers learn the “handwashing song.”

And no, hand sanitizer is not a substitute for a good ol' handwashing. If you need more info on when to use hand sanitizer, theCDC has a very interesting article here.

How to avoid it: Since there's actually no tipson how to avoid this, just think: How would you feel aboutshaking hands with someone whose hands were in … ahem … otherplaces? Gross, right?

12. The toxic popcorncloud

OK, so this one is not an intentional office offense. And nowthat microwave popcorn has been nixed by every health food blog inthe world, it may just naturally disappear sometime in the verynear future.

In my last job, someone set the microwave on for too long andburned the bag, almost setting fire to the kitchen and unleashing acloud of toxic fumes in a crowded office. This person was subjectedto public shaming: A mysterious sticky note appeared on themicrowave that said “<Name> is banned from making popcornever again.” After this incident, the person in question never madepopcorn again. When the sticky note disappeared a few weeks later,it reappeared on the offender's computer monitor.

How to avoid it: If you don't know themicrowave very well or the settings are off, don't risk it. Justbuy bagged kettle popcorn from the store. If that's not possible,don't leave the popping bag unattended.

11. Loud ringtones andpersonal phone calls

It's pretty safe to assume that your cubicle or office neighbordoes not want to listen in to your private conversation (unlesshe's a lurker, for more on that see point six here). If there's nospace to converse, you shouldn't be calling your best friend totalk about personal things. In fact, even if you can shut youroffice door, you probably should not be doing this. It's called“work” for a reason.

Now, the problem with loud cell phone ringtones is that they aredistracting. While some might love hearing “Let it go” from Frozeneverytime someone rings, others might find this annoying. Manyothers, in fact. Don't become the next Sen. Pat Roberts at yourmeetings.

How to avoid it: If you have to take a personalcall, go outside, find a “phone room” or take the call in your car.And silence your cell phone, or put it on vibrate. It's as easy asthat. If another coworker is the offender, talk to your bossabout instituting a “personal phone call” policy (for more info onthat, see more on the SHRM's website here.)

10. Fish and other smellyfood eaters

“Workers who eat Caesar salads, that are heavy on the anchovies,at their desks,” said one of our editors when asked what their petpeeves at work were. We can name a few other smelly delinquents:Fish, broccoli, anything with fresh or cooked onions,strong-smelling cheese, garlic, etc. Then, there's the awfultale of a boss who removed the microwave from a kitchenette areabecause of repeat smelly food offenders. If you don't follow therules, all microwave privileges might be taken away. Say hello tocold sandwiches for lunch!

How to avoid it: This one is a no-brainer: justdon't bring fish or anything with strong odors to work to reheat inthe microwave. Or, at the very least, if you are reheating a smellyfood, open a window, light a candle and warn the office of whatyou're about to do.

9. Loud people ingeneral

OK, so we covered this one as a bad habit, but we wanted to makea note of loud talkers, whistlers and people who laugh very loudly.Not all people come equipped with a “whisper” setting and not allloud people realize that they're being loud.

How to avoid it: If you suspect that your“volume control” is broken, ask your neighbors if you're being loudor laughing loudly and if it bothers anyone. Being mindful of whenpeople are on the phone or having a meeting is another way tocreate a peaceful working space.

8. A “disasterzone” microwave

Would you like to reheat your food inside something that lookslike it hasn't been cleaned since 1996? There might be radioactivewaste lurking on the microwave's walls, for all we know, and thatcould get into your food. Don't be that person who brings inlasagna and lets it splatter all over the place.

How to avoid it: Cover your food with amicrowave cover or a napkin. If you don't have these things handy,make sure that you clean up any spills.

7. Music with orwithout headphones; singers / hummers

Some people might say that for those who want to listen tomusic, headphones is the way to go. Others might find thatheadphones alienate coworkers and make it difficult to catch theirattention or talk to them. However, because tastes in musicare so varied, it is sometimes better to have headphones, or if thewhole office agrees, play music that everyone likes in a volumethat helps everyone concentrate and is not distracting. Forthe American Idol hopefuls and the chronic hummers, know that theworkplace is not a karaoke bar. If you can't help yourself and haveto belt out “Sweet Home Alabama,” don't play that song at work andsave it for your commute (or the shower, if you take thetrain).

How to avoid it: Ask if your music is welcomeor annoying to your coworkers. Is it better if you put yourheadphones on? Is it better if you turn it off or just lower thevolume? Reach a compromise; maybe have rock Tuesdays and popWednesdays.

6. Roamers and lurkers,a.k.a. eavesdroppers

You know the guy, let's call him “Bob,” who is always roamingthe hallway looking for anyone who is deeply concentrated on theirwork to interrupt them with small talk. Or that person who isalways lurking outside the conference room, hearing devicesdeployed, ready for eavesdropping. In addition to creating anawkward and tense atmosphere (as in “Shhh! Bob is near…”), roamersand lurkers don't help anyone at the office. They're wastingeveryone's time, their own included. If the roamer/lurker isalso a chronic complainer, well, then you have a trifecta.

How to avoid it: According to The Muse, awebsite dedicated to career advice, confronting the lurker shoulddeter him or her from further lurking. If you feel like the lurkeris watching what you type over your shoulder or standing near youroffice space, stop what you're doing and ask how you can help themor if they're looking for something or someone.

5. The empty coffeecarafe / the empty water tank in the Keurig

Some people need their coffee in the morning like cars need fuelin order to work properly. Want to push a sleepy coworker to theirlimit? Then leave the office coffee carafe empty or don't refillthe Keurig machine's water tank. That will definitely bring out thehidden Shrek in coffee drinkers.

How to avoid it: If you drank the last drop ofcoffee, start another pot. If you used the last cup of water in theKeurig, refill it and throw out that used K-cup while you're at it.It will take you a few seconds to do all this and you will avoid alifetime of unhappiness, evil-eye and angry stares from yourofficemates. Another alternative might be to connect theKeurig directly to a water source. That way, you eliminate havingto refill the tanks (this might depend on the Keurig model,though).

4. Overall desk andoffice cleanliness

There shouldn't be any reason to have to call the camera crewfrom the TV show “Hoarders” on your coworker's desk, but should youfind yourself pondering the idea, it might be time for anintervention. No one likes a messy desk with tons of paperseverywhere, especially in this digitized era, where printing is nowessentially a crime against trees.

How to avoid it: There is a thing called“spring cleaning” that should happen more than just once a year.Put it to practice in all areas of life: The home, the office, thecar or any place where garbage and stuff that you don't use couldaccumulate. Dedicate a time block either at the end of theweek or at the beginning to organize, throw away and clean yourdesk or office area. This is one of the many tasks that thecleaning staff won't do for you. Consider having an officecleaning day, or a rule that all employees must have a cleanworkspace. Need some tips on how to reduce your officeclutter? Here's an article.

3. It's toocold/hot

Being unable to control the temperature in each office isexasperating to some. With just one thermostat and many differenttemperature preferences … let the “Hunger Games” begin (and may theodds be ever in your favor!)

Everybody runs at a different temperature and there are otherfactors that influence how people perceive temperature as well,such as clothing, being close to other people or vents, how muchthey move around, etc. There have been studies that also show thetemperatures where workers are at their most productive (you canread more on that here).

How to avoid it: Even if someone has theability to control the thermostat in the office, odds are that somepeople will feel either too cold or too hot. If you fall in one ofthese camps, consider buying a small and silent space heater or fanand place it by your desk or office. Also, dress appropriately forwork: If it's a cold office, wear many layers.

2. Frequent smokingbreaks

Imagine that more than half of your team arrives at work at 8a.m. sharp, but by 9:15 a.m., they've all gone downstairs to take asmoking break. This happens at least three to five times a day.Now, if a non-smoker did this – just stood and loitered around inan area – we're pretty sure that either their boss or securitywould be called to ask why they were wasting their time staring ata wall.

While this is a touchy subject on both sides of the fence, thefact remains that people who take more than two smoking breaks aday are actually throwing away paid hours of work. According to anarticle published in Bloomberg, people who are taking more than five smoking breaksin a day can lose at least an hour of work, which would be equal tothree full workdays every month. That same Bloomberg articlesays that being part of the “smokers' club” does have itsadvantages, such as getting to know your coworkers better. There isalways a silver lining, even on tobacco clouds.

But non-smokers might feel resentment towards their smokercoworkers because of the breaks they are taking and the cigarettesmell they bring back on their clothes.

How to avoid it: This will vary dependingon your organization's smoking policy, but make sure that you knowthe rules: Can you smoke within 20 feet of the building? Is there asmoking-only designated area? How many times can you go out tosmoke, and for how long?

1. Office jargon orbuzzwords

Do any of these words or phrases irk you? Synergy, reachout, align, 10-4, “cool beans,” “let's touch base,” “going/movingforward,” “next steps,” S.W.A.T. team, empower, cutting-edge,“moving parts,” “ducks in a row,” vertical, “full service,” “drilldown,” “take offline or put in the backburner,” “take it to thenext level,” ”giving 110%” … this list could go onforever. The way you communicate impacts the way you areperceived. A simple Google search of “why buzzwords are important”will reveal that there two camps about this buzzword consensus: Thehaters and the lovers. While we don't want to get into that debate,we want to point out that if your message is clear and direct,there's a lower chance that it might be misunderstood. Why is thisimportant? Trust is essential to retaining both members andtalent.

How to avoid it: If you're preparing apresentation or speech, or crafting an important email, run it by acoworker and ask them to read it and report back on what theyunderstood from it. Ask if they can help you improve it. And leaveall jargon and buzzwords out of it.

The problem with buzzwords is that while the person saying orwriting them might think that they sound intelligent, often thoseon the receiving end of the message think that the messenger isthrowing around empty buzzwords simply to impress. Anotherproblem with using buzzwords is that they leave significant roomfor interpretation, and they aren't specific. Be consistent, clear,brief and to the point. Explain what “taking it to the next level”really means and how you're going to achieve that “next level.”