Noisey co-workers

Oh dear, one of those...

There's a general process to these things. The first is to approach her tactfully about this. Explain how important and difficult your work is and that it requires full concentration.

If you are unsure on how to approach this, ask your HR officer about this. This will also alert them to the situation. If it doesn't work, then ask your HR officer to intervene.

When you say she "talks to herself" do you mean she's a bit of a primadona and makes a song-and-dance about the slightest thing. We had one of those in an adjacent department who also used the occasional expletive (not good in a Japanese company). Not seen/heard her for a while, either she's been moved or pushed.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
The Hi-Fi Doctor

Hi Fis

You could have a chat to them about it? Maybe have some kind of "do not disturb signal".

I used to work in an open plan office and could hear people on the phone half a floor away. I took a portable CD player to work and listened to that when I didn't want to be disturbed.

I really wonder how productive people are in open plan offices sometimes. In the name of reducing costs and increasing communication I really wonder if it's actually improved their "effectiveness". IME people have different tolerance levels to noise and some either communicate naturally or don't. Anyone feel like a battery hen sometimes?

Hope that helps

J

Following up to Julian, I also got a pair of closed backed headphones in the office. Admittedly I've mostly had to use them when the regular construction work was happening outside the office. However I have used them effectively when the said-department and individual got rather loud.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
The Hi-Fi Doctor

Fisbey, you don't work for the US postal service, do you?

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

Fisbey - You have my deepest sympathies.
I rented an office in a building which I had to myself for a long time, but during the building being redecorated, I agreed to allow the other firms bosses wife to move into the far end of my room. She liked it so much she didn't want to leave. In the end I left. She was one of those people who shout on the phone, and use the telephone system intercom to shout to others in the building. I endured this for 18 months until I couldn't deal with it anymore. I now have had an extreme reacion to that period and now reside in a 2 storey detatched office building all to myself. The boss of the other firm was the landlord, and I guess I just didn't want to be rude - which was silly looking back on it. I liked them all too, so it was harder to approach the subject.
Very difficult and I know exactly how you feel.

Yes, pretty much the same thing, shouting (loud voice?) instead of talking, listening in to peoples conversations, interrupting, whispering to others....

Going through a ' I hate my workplace' period at the moment - I work in QA, and it's sad to say several of the people who work here are in the wrong jobs/incompetent....

Still, could be worse I could get a job at the Post office!

quote:

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Originally posted by FISBEY:
Going through a ' I hate my workplace' period at the moment - I work in QA, and it's sad to say several of the people who work here are in the wrong jobs/incompetent....

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Does this other person also work in QA?? Right across from us is the NOISIEST PERSON YOU EVER HEARD AS SHE TALKS LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME! Phew! And she also laughs like an H-Bomb going off. The rest of the QA team are almost as noisy, and certainly the noisiest team I've ever had the pleasure of working near.

Even in our old HQ building, where my team was the only one in open plan, it was never this bad.

I've been tempted so many times to drive a pick axe through her spinal column. I *know* I'm not the quietest person on earth but...

BTW - I'd be screwed in Japan! Every other word I utter is an expletive, when the computer starts playing up. Not good, not professional, but I try to stop it consciously and it never happens.

Open plan is much less productive IMHO.

Good luck with your situation, Fisbey!

__________________________
Don't wanna be cremated or buried in a grave
Just dump me in a plastic bag and leave me on the pavement
A tribute to your modern world, your great society
I'm just another victim of your highrise fantasy!

quote:

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I really wonder how productive people are in open plan offices sometimes. In the name of reducing costs and increasing communication I really wonder if it's actually improved their "effectiveness".

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They're an utterly f***ing stupid idea, except for some very specific jobs.

One person has a 'phone call, everyone has a phone call etc, etc...

and don't start me on speakerphones either

Andy (open plan office hater).

Andrew, quit dicking around. Where are those TPS reports?!?!

I also work in a cube farm and have all sorts of problems trying to get work done. Not only is it noisey but virtually impossible to get a suitable temperature and amount of light to satisfy everyone. My productivity is definitley lower since moving from small offices of 3 or 4 people to large open plan style. For some reason we are not allowed to use headphones either so listening to other peoples' phone calls is pretty much a constant pass time.

Brendan