Are you an office prat?

Sep 03 2008 by Derek Torres Print This Article

Are you the guy at the office who thinks that acting like an idiot is something you should be proud of? Do you think it's funny to act like a boor to the secretary or take your kit off at company parties? If so, according to Australian work and behavior experts, you may well be the office prat.

"The Prat is very real in workplaces and is an extremely dangerous species" said Dr Antony Young of RMIT University.

So if this is you, listen up. As the article points out, 50 hours per week is now the norm in Australia, which means the love and attention that you are getting at home isn't coming (because you're never there). Someone has to make up for it, and your colleagues do the trick (or so you think). But, wrong!

According to experts, the office prat is a borderline bully, and we know all about the workplace bully in Australia, don't we? He's the chap who is costing Australian businesses between $6 and $13 billion Australian dollars per year. Yes, that's right, your childish behavior is wreaking havoc on the economy - and you thought it was those pesky foreigners, didn't you?

But seriously, the point I'm trying to make here, office prat, is that will you may be mildly amusing (especially on a Friday afternoon after a big lunch), it's time to clean up your act and show some home training. Your colleagues aren't all amused and the economy is suffering because of you.

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