Might your supervisors be guilty of any of these disrespectful behaviors? Try conducting your own in-house survey. If your employees mention such conduct very frequently, consider implementing a 360 degree feedback program in which subordinates have the chance to rate their bosses. Confronted with their offensive habits, most supervisors can learn to manage better.

Not surprisingly, several other peeves seem to be the fallout generated by our widespread conversion to cubicle farms. For example, 32% cited loud talkers as extremely annoying, 30% voted against the ringing of co-workers' cell phones, 22% complained about co-workers' use of speakerphones, and 11% complained about co-workers' personal conversations. Can you think of ways, with top management's agreement, to reduce some of these distractions?

One approach could be a "cubicle courtesy" policy prepared after discussion with employee focus groups and then circulated and reinforced through intranet reminders. A second option, implemented by supervisors, could be to rearrange seating plans so that employees who most value a quiet environment are moved away from more talkative, interactive workers. Another choice might involve adding more soundproofing material to ceilings and cubicle dividers.

Randstad also asked respondents about their individual work habits. Notwithstanding the unreliability of self-reporting, take a look at these statistics: 38% reported they don't usually take a lunch break, 33% said they work overtime without additional compensation (we certainly hope they're exempt), 31% work on Sundays, and a whopping 91% report that they don't call in sick unless they're actually sick (they don't "play hooky"). If you've been feeling cynical or dispirited about employee motivation, perhaps those numbers surprise you­and cheer you up. But speaking of best practices, now hear this: A full 91% of employees find profanity in the workplace unacceptable.

Tip: Consider adding a ban on profane language to your employee handbook, perhaps even in boldfaced type, along with the policy, which we hope is there, of always treating colleagues respectfully.