Work can bring out the stranger side of human behavior. People often develop odd habits to help them think through difficult problems, cope with work-related stress or relax during downtime. While some idiosyncrasies may annoy one’s coworkers, certain odd habits can actually improve performance. In fact, some of the world’s greatest thinkers have also had some of the most eccentric work routines.

Whenever you’re working to solve a particularly tricky problem, do you find yourself pacing back and forth or muttering to yourself? Do you have a little ritual you perform to celebrate the completion of an assignment? These behaviors aren’t all that unusual, as everyone has some unique habits that emerge in the workplace.

Of course, some types of office habits are much rarer, or downright weird.

In a CareerBuilder.com survey of 5,231 workers last year, 39 percent said they don’t feel like they fit in with their coworkers. Broken down by gender, 42 percent of women and 37 percent of men sometimes consider themselves outsiders compared to their officemates, with health care, sales and professional and business services the leading fields in which employees believe they don’t fit in.

With nearly four out of 10 workers feeling as if they don’t fit in with their colleagues, perhaps “strange” workplace behavior is actually the norm? At the very least, employees shouldn’t feel embarrassed about their quirks — unless, of course, their behavior is on CareerBuilder’s list of the weirdest reported workplace habits:

• Eating cheese off a pizza box at a company meeting;
• Talking openly about flatulence;
• Wearing 3-D glasses with the lenses removed;
• Repeatedly slamming a mallet against a table for no apparent reason;
• Whistling eight hours a day;
• Chewing tobacco and spitting it into empty soda bottles;
• Bringing a baby’s sippy cup to a meeting and drinking out of it; or
• Cleaning fingernails with a coworkers’ business card while sitting in their office.

While these behaviors are likely to annoy or even alienate someone from his or her colleagues, there are some forms of eccentricity that might actually be useful in the workplace.

Unusual work habits can exemplify counterintuitive behavior, which is often linked to innovative thinking and creative problem-solving abilities. Before criticizing or becoming irritated by a coworker’s strange approach to assignments, it’s important to discern between weird behavior and the type of strange behavior that actually improves performance.

“We’ve all heard the conventional wisdom about good work habits. Many of us have attended time management classes, participated in workshops and have been advised to ‘work smarter, not harder,’” according to a CareerBuilder article. “Some ideas, however, appear at first glance to be unusual or even counterintuitive. But for some employees, these habits keep them productive and motivated. More importantly, these habits help them get the job done.”

Strange, but useful, workplace habits include:

• Reading a book at work. Pausing from your regular tasks to read a textbook, newspaper or white paper can be part of the learning and training process, and being well-informed is useful in nearly any profession.
• Taking frequent breaks, or long breaks. The human mind can concentrate effectively for only so long, making it helpful to take numerous breaks, or one long break, to mentally recharge yourself and tackle seemingly intractable problems.
• Ignoring e-mail and voicemail. A steady stream of inbox messages can be a major distraction, so ignoring incoming alerts until a specific time of day can boost productivity.
• Goofing off. Setting aside time to mess around in a non-irritating way can help reduce stress, improve morale and strengthen team cooperation.

Some of the world’s most creative thinkers and leaders have had work routines ranging from the unusual to the outright bizarre. While many people might consider these habits weird, or even intolerable, the product of their labor speaks for itself.

According to Forbes.com’s My Three Cents blog, American writer John Cheever would put on his only suit each morning before riding the elevator to a basement room where he worked. Once he got to his workspace, he stripped down to his underwear, hung up his suit and started to write, getting dressed again only when he came up for lunch and at the end of the day. Likewise, poet Gertrude Stein achieved inspiration by writing naked in her parked car.

Not everyone has to get into their birthday suit to get the creative juices flowing. Leadership site the Bacharach Blog notes that Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami wakes up at 4 a.m., writes for six hours and then goes for a 10k run. On the other end of the spectrum, French writer and critic Marcel Proust composed his masterpiece entirely in bed, reclining on pillows and using his knees as a desk, as did other literary masters.

Lingering in bed seems to be a popular choice not just for artists, but also one of history’s most-admired leaders. According to Daily Routines, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill woke at 7:30 a.m. every day, but remained in bed until 11 a.m., eating a substantial breakfast and reading the daily mail and all the national newspapers. At 1 p.m. he ate a three-course lunch, complete with champagne, brandy and cigars, then took an hour-and-a-half siesta around 5 p.m.

In the tech field, BNET cites several strange habits among top executives, including: Bill Gates’ tendency to rock his chair back and forth at meetings in accordance with his level of interest in an idea; a tech executive who takes engineers out to a shooting range at lunchtime to help blow off steam; and a CEO with a Ph.D. who tries to solve differential equations to relax and pass the time during travel.

Odds are that you’re not working alongside the next Churchill, Gates or Proust, but it’s still important to be tolerant of your colleagues’ idiosyncrasies. However, if someone’s strange habits are actually impeding your ability to perform at work, you need to address the situation. Consider explaining to your coworker how his or her behavior is disrupting your productivity, and try to frame the problem as an issue of courtesy and consideration, rather than personal enmity.

“If you personally dislike a coworker or boss, you can still learn from their opinions, viewpoints, and ideas. If you can find something to appreciate about them, comment on it in a favorable way,” AllBusiness.com recommends. “If that person senses your allegiance, they will be naturally drawn to you, and you may both learn to get along despite your differences.”

Earlier

Weird in the Workplace

Annoying Coworker Habits

13 types of Irritating Coworkers

An Idea So Crazy it Might Work: Tips for Disruptive Thinking

Resources

Image credit: iStockPhoto/mrPliskin

Four-in-Ten Workers Feel that They Don’t Fit in with Their Colleagues…
CareerBuilder.com, Jan. 26, 2010

Top 10 Strange Workplace Habits of Top Executives
by Steve Tobak
BNET, Oct. 19, 2010

7 Surprising Work Habits (that Get the Job Done)
Careerbuilder.com, Dec. 17, 2009

Strange Work Habits
by Ken Makovsky
My Three Cents (Forbes.com), Jan. 6, 2011

5 Weird Work Habits of Successful Writers
The Bacharach Blog, May 11, 2011

The Advantages of Writing in Bed
by Robert McCrum
The Guardian, April 28, 2011

Winston Churchill
Daily Routines, Feb. 5, 2009

Ten Tips for Dealing with Difficult Coworkers
AllBusiness.com