Must the guy in the next cubicle clip his nails?

Ah yes, the life of an office worker who is forced to sit through the unpleasant habits of the people seated nearby. The FT's Lucy Kellaway writes about a new man in the office who insists on slurping his cereal-and-milk right at his desk.

It makes no sense to eat cereal at work. It takes about 90 seconds to prepare and eat a bowl of Bran Flakes at home. The fridge is to hand, as is the dishwasher. In the office there is a trek to the fridge and you have to wash the bowl yourself. The fact that workers overcome such odds to eat their Cheerios at their desks suggests that the mental barrier between the sorts of things we do at home and the sorts of things we do at work has collapsed.

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Modern office workers can conduct all their most intimate morning rituals at work. They turn up in sweat pants, take a shower, clean their teeth and apply make-up. Offices double as wardrobes and laundry rooms with damp towels, spare clothes and shoes strewn carelessly around the place. On the hat stand behind me are a pin-striped jacket, a couple of T-shirts, a pair of chinos and a week's worth of dry cleaned shirts belonging to the new boy. Grooming complete, workers present themselves at their desks, where they are greeted by stuffed toys, rugs, bunches of flowers and, of course, photographs of children and pets. Even this evidence of home life is not enough. Now our children themselves pitch up to the office on a fairly regular basis, and some offices even welcome dogs.