our firm moved recently + i am now adjacent + isolated next to a co-worker who is on their mobile 1/3 of the day (i'm serious),chatting it up - [she makes alot of errors by the way/focusing on wk while on the phone isn't the best idea] .. i have no choice but to listen to this womans personal conversations which last @ 45 min each ..[ i do wear headphones, but i still hear] she has been w. the firm 5 yrs + me 1.5 - so am i wrong to ask her to at least please talk quietly because i find it distracting from work or should i just grin + bear it ...
what would you do in my situation ?
creative solutions appreciated -
tell her to shut the fuck up and get to work. if your accounting of her time on the phone for personal reasons is true, she has no leg to stand on. what is she going to do in the face of you telling her to cool the conversation? tell the boss? i doubt it. if she continues to do it, go to your boss.
if you don't have the guts to speak to her face to face, get one of those cell phone blockers. everytime she gets on her phone to chat it up with her friends, just press the button. at least you'll have some fun at her expense.
are you joking? of course ask her to stop using her phone for personal calls during the day. If she won't, rat her out. that's ridiculous. I doubt any employer wants their people on the phone all day.
Be polite about it when you speak to her, but be direct. And if you have to speak to your boss, again be polite and discreet, but definitely let them know about the problem. I think you should talk to your coworker first, though.
do you have an office manual?
does it contain language regarding personal phone calls?
anonymously place a copy of the relevant page on her desk with the relevant paragraph highlighted.
don't send an email. it's a cop out. i think if you are going to bring it up, do it to her face in the way that pencrush states. so many ppl use email to discuss difficult issues today. it's wrong and whimpy.
she said this is an 'open-office' and i better get used to the noise, that there's been no problem for 5 yrs. that i have no right in asking her to (* please) keep it down [w. the personal calls] - and stating that i am not her boss.
she was screaming this at me by the way - i had to go out + take a walk ..
yeah, i would go to your boss at this point. you did the right thing by bringing it up with her first. i'd also explain to your boss not only the impact it has on your work, but her's also. she is there to work not socialize with friends.
give me her cell or direct number. i'll call it and give her a polite earful on the behalf of all of us who hate etiquette-less cell phone talkers. she will be blown away.
j, your time is not your own when you are working and getting paid by someone else. the owner is not paying her to socialize.
architron tried to deal with the situation by speaking with her first. she responding by acting like a 5th grader >> throwing a hissy fit. she has now made her bed.
* on the side, i think it is a cell-phone mentality pblm as form64 brought up - i think she's one of those (self-centered) people that BELIEVE they own everyones ear rights.
i don't need to be here forever anyhow [@ this office]-they should be cognizant of her anyhow by now - so i'll blast my headphones a bit louder - + be glad i'm not a jerk like i find her to be --
ok 3ifs + if it gets really bad i may just try the DP -
just 1 ;-)
that's bad, but it ain't worse than a Redneck secretary that used to be next to my 'cube'. She had some kinda horrible 'fragrance' (let's call it 'Ode de Chattahoochee') that would mke my eyes cross. She was a really nice person, but at the time, I was a youngster, so I didn't rock the boat. Finally, her boss, must've decided enough was enough. Life suddenly smelled a lot better.
So, here's what I would do: Take a conflict resolution seminar in Hawaii, get the company to pay for it, then dazzle your office w/ your ability to tell Ms. Cell to 'SHADDAP', while still letting her keep her dignity. Do this in front of your boss, so he/she will be so impressed, they'll promote you & send you to more seminars.
Or, you could just use common sense & listen to your fellow Archinecktors.
I don't know how you can possibly defend this woman. architron tried to deal with the situation in a professional personal confrontation, and the woman basically said "fuck you". I don't think it would be inappropriate to tell a supervisor that this interfering with your work. If she was shooting rubber bands at you all day, you asked her to stop, and she wouldn't , you would have to take some other recourse.
I don't believe you would be a tattletale by bringing this to management. That's why they get the big bucks, cause they have to deal with sensitive issues like this and tell people that talking on the cell phone all day long is not okay with the company, not you. You, as another employee (equal or lesser to the cell phoner) can expect that kind of response when trying to deal with this on your own, you are not the enforcer of policies. Unless you were friends with her and can help her realize what she's doing on a friendly level (which would be hard). I think the easiest thing to do is to send a very short e-mail to the appropriate boss refering to the policy of personal calls and that overhearing these phone calls interferes with your work. You don't have to mention names or sound whiny.
There was a girl in my old office that talked on her cell phone 5-6 hours a day (I don't know first hand but the people around her say so.)
From my own experiences, go to boss maybe is not a great idea. Especially if the woman (who dare to talk loudly on per personal cell phone during office hour) is more important to the boss than you. The boss may already know her problem, if he keeps her, there must be a reason. If you confront her through the boss, she will hate you and bring problems to you later. If you can't talk her out of it, maybe ask other coworkers, (since it's an open office, who may also be bothered,) and learned the history. Maybe come up a plan to solve it togather. Then you are not the only one to be confronted.
This seems to me like an HR issue and since you tried to approach her directly, and she responded negatively, violently even, you need to bring matters to whoever is in charge of personnel. Is there someone you can talk to besides your project manager? Someone like an office manager? Honesty is the best policy and you could even approach this person on the basis of, "well I don't want to act like a snitch but this is really becoming a problem for me, it's hard to concentrate, etc." Besides if your boss hasn't figured it out by now, he/she is probably rather dense. A good "Reminder about company policy" sent out by an HR Manager always gets the job done in my office.
maybe a simple answer would be to ask to have your desk
moved for a different reason....sun too bright...lack of
proximity to your team..blah, blah. that way you can
avoid having to talk to her again and can get back to
a normal work environment...
j-
i believe architron said he talked to her directly already..
she was basically rude back to him...i don't understand
why now one person should just have to put up with
someone else's unprofessionalism...there are probably
other ways to go than behind her back to a principal
or whomever..but there's probably a way you can talk/
deal with her directly again as to make clear that you're
not trying to boss her around, but you find it personally
distracting...and it's effecting your work...and offer to
have a meeting between yourself, herself and the head
of h.r. or whomever to figure out a solution...
or more seriously- unplug your headphones everytime she's on the phone and play like- REALLY annoying music- like crazy aphex twin remixes- loud enough to disturb her. if she says something- you get where I'm going with it...
No, all you need to play is some Creed really loud. That would drive me to insanity. Oh wait, we had a meathead in our studio that played creed 8 hours a day.
exchange the battery with vasaline... no better yet - get ahuuuuuuge handfull of "fromunda" cheese and whipe it on the mouthpiece / cellphone... Frumunda cheese has a distinct smell to it.
we have no HR our office is very lo-fi .. i do believe the principal is nice to the point of being a bit dense <re: to wonderK > (+ he tends to not deal w. things) ..which has both positive + neg. affects. this would probably just irk him - like children complaining/which is why i'd rather be adult and deal w it directly but she just was NASTY. i think maybe she just didn't like being nailed on what she's been up to and may feel threatened that perhaps i may make an issue out of it to the boss ..
the headphones, the Sennheiser HD 280s is a really good idea -
tho CREED blasting is REALLY awesome !! but that would bug too many others here too - bRink i may pitch that cell into the trash though .. how cathartic !
Since a proper "Donkey Punch" is administered at the peak of climax for that maximum clenching sensation, I think it could solve several issues for both parties. She will listen the next day.
..cell..
our firm moved recently + i am now adjacent + isolated next to a co-worker who is on their mobile 1/3 of the day (i'm serious),chatting it up - [she makes alot of errors by the way/focusing on wk while on the phone isn't the best idea] .. i have no choice but to listen to this womans personal conversations which last @ 45 min each ..[ i do wear headphones, but i still hear] she has been w. the firm 5 yrs + me 1.5 - so am i wrong to ask her to at least please talk quietly because i find it distracting from work or should i just grin + bear it ...
what would you do in my situation ?
creative solutions appreciated -
tell her to shut the fuck up and get to work. if your accounting of her time on the phone for personal reasons is true, she has no leg to stand on. what is she going to do in the face of you telling her to cool the conversation? tell the boss? i doubt it. if she continues to do it, go to your boss.
if you don't have the guts to speak to her face to face, get one of those cell phone blockers. everytime she gets on her phone to chat it up with her friends, just press the button. at least you'll have some fun at her expense.
are you joking? of course ask her to stop using her phone for personal calls during the day. If she won't, rat her out. that's ridiculous. I doubt any employer wants their people on the phone all day.
Be polite about it when you speak to her, but be direct. And if you have to speak to your boss, again be polite and discreet, but definitely let them know about the problem. I think you should talk to your coworker first, though.
Donkey punch her
do you have an office manual?
does it contain language regarding personal phone calls?
anonymously place a copy of the relevant page on her desk with the relevant paragraph highlighted.
so here is my e mail i will send - i think it's fair right ? :
x-,
big favor -
i hear thru my headphones,
** if there's anyway you can talk a bit quieter when you are making personal calls would be great - if you can,
thanks...
i'm sure you understand,i just find it distracting.
don't send an email. it's a cop out. i think if you are going to bring it up, do it to her face in the way that pencrush states. so many ppl use email to discuss difficult issues today. it's wrong and whimpy.
"Donkey punch her"
Let me tell you, that typically makes more problems than it solves... like explaining yourself after the first swing doesn't quite get the job done.
face to face is so much effort .. really you think an e mail can't just send the message [that she's bugging the beejeezus out of me ]...
do be a wimp. if you can't be big enough to speak with her face to face, then don't say anything.
Rib chops then a swift hard donkey punch. If that doesnt do the job, a glass bottom boat will.
okay - i'll deal will let you know outcome .. [when she gets off the phone ]..
rig her phone to automatically broadcast onto 'conference call', then that way she will get a lot of wimpy emails...
or even better,
copy and paste this thread and set it as her computer desktop background.
.. and she's still on her cell ..
okay she had a major HISSY-FIT ..
she said this is an 'open-office' and i better get used to the noise, that there's been no problem for 5 yrs. that i have no right in asking her to (* please) keep it down [w. the personal calls] - and stating that i am not her boss.
she was screaming this at me by the way - i had to go out + take a walk ..
talk to your manager/boss... open office is one thing, personal calls, totally different. unacceptable.
yeah, i would go to your boss at this point. you did the right thing by bringing it up with her first. i'd also explain to your boss not only the impact it has on your work, but her's also. she is there to work not socialize with friends.
time for plan B:
the donkey punch.
give me her cell or direct number. i'll call it and give her a polite earful on the behalf of all of us who hate etiquette-less cell phone talkers. she will be blown away.
send it to me at [email protected]
3ifs is right, go for the DP and end it off with a Dirty Sanchez...
if you have $400 to spare you could pick up a commercial cell phone jammer....
that or eat a horribly flatulence inducing lunch; mutually assured destruction.
god bless the DP reference
j, your time is not your own when you are working and getting paid by someone else. the owner is not paying her to socialize.
architron tried to deal with the situation by speaking with her first. she responding by acting like a 5th grader >> throwing a hissy fit. she has now made her bed.
i'm not going to snitch - i think that's wrong.
i tried to deal with her [it] directly + she is
A. a bitch
B. a s_itty worker
C. a jerk
D. lazy
* on the side, i think it is a cell-phone mentality pblm as form64 brought up - i think she's one of those (self-centered) people that BELIEVE they own everyones ear rights.
i don't need to be here forever anyhow [@ this office]-they should be cognizant of her anyhow by now - so i'll blast my headphones a bit louder - + be glad i'm not a jerk like i find her to be --
ok 3ifs + if it gets really bad i may just try the DP -
just 1 ;-)
if it affects his work, then it is his business.
you shouldve left an anonymous note:
"the office say we would like you to shut the fuck up"
and then play dumb...
naw that would be mean
that's bad, but it ain't worse than a Redneck secretary that used to be next to my 'cube'. She had some kinda horrible 'fragrance' (let's call it 'Ode de Chattahoochee') that would mke my eyes cross. She was a really nice person, but at the time, I was a youngster, so I didn't rock the boat. Finally, her boss, must've decided enough was enough. Life suddenly smelled a lot better.
So, here's what I would do: Take a conflict resolution seminar in Hawaii, get the company to pay for it, then dazzle your office w/ your ability to tell Ms. Cell to 'SHADDAP', while still letting her keep her dignity. Do this in front of your boss, so he/she will be so impressed, they'll promote you & send you to more seminars.
Or, you could just use common sense & listen to your fellow Archinecktors.
BTW, speaking on your cell-phone during work hours is really bad form...it's almost as bad as posting on Archinect during work.
I don't know how you can possibly defend this woman. architron tried to deal with the situation in a professional personal confrontation, and the woman basically said "fuck you". I don't think it would be inappropriate to tell a supervisor that this interfering with your work. If she was shooting rubber bands at you all day, you asked her to stop, and she wouldn't , you would have to take some other recourse.
I don't believe you would be a tattletale by bringing this to management. That's why they get the big bucks, cause they have to deal with sensitive issues like this and tell people that talking on the cell phone all day long is not okay with the company, not you. You, as another employee (equal or lesser to the cell phoner) can expect that kind of response when trying to deal with this on your own, you are not the enforcer of policies. Unless you were friends with her and can help her realize what she's doing on a friendly level (which would be hard). I think the easiest thing to do is to send a very short e-mail to the appropriate boss refering to the policy of personal calls and that overhearing these phone calls interferes with your work. You don't have to mention names or sound whiny.
There was a girl in my old office that talked on her cell phone 5-6 hours a day (I don't know first hand but the people around her say so.)
form64's idea is inspired. please record that conversation, or at least transcribe it in this thread.
i don't have a number to call her yet. i PROMISE i will be professional.
???
From my own experiences, go to boss maybe is not a great idea. Especially if the woman (who dare to talk loudly on per personal cell phone during office hour) is more important to the boss than you. The boss may already know her problem, if he keeps her, there must be a reason. If you confront her through the boss, she will hate you and bring problems to you later. If you can't talk her out of it, maybe ask other coworkers, (since it's an open office, who may also be bothered,) and learned the history. Maybe come up a plan to solve it togather. Then you are not the only one to be confronted.
This seems to me like an HR issue and since you tried to approach her directly, and she responded negatively, violently even, you need to bring matters to whoever is in charge of personnel. Is there someone you can talk to besides your project manager? Someone like an office manager? Honesty is the best policy and you could even approach this person on the basis of, "well I don't want to act like a snitch but this is really becoming a problem for me, it's hard to concentrate, etc." Besides if your boss hasn't figured it out by now, he/she is probably rather dense. A good "Reminder about company policy" sent out by an HR Manager always gets the job done in my office.
I wouldn't go to the boss. If she's being bitchy and you're the only one it's bothering, you might just have to deal with it yourself.
Have you looked into better headphones? I have some Sennheiser HD 280s that I wear on the bus, even surrounded by cell yell I don't hear a thing.
maybe a simple answer would be to ask to have your desk
moved for a different reason....sun too bright...lack of
proximity to your team..blah, blah. that way you can
avoid having to talk to her again and can get back to
a normal work environment...
j-
i believe architron said he talked to her directly already..
she was basically rude back to him...i don't understand
why now one person should just have to put up with
someone else's unprofessionalism...there are probably
other ways to go than behind her back to a principal
or whomever..but there's probably a way you can talk/
deal with her directly again as to make clear that you're
not trying to boss her around, but you find it personally
distracting...and it's effecting your work...and offer to
have a meeting between yourself, herself and the head
of h.r. or whomever to figure out a solution...
you guys are seriously funny sometimes....
just roundhouse the broad
or more seriously- unplug your headphones everytime she's on the phone and play like- REALLY annoying music- like crazy aphex twin remixes- loud enough to disturb her. if she says something- you get where I'm going with it...
No, all you need to play is some Creed really loud. That would drive me to insanity. Oh wait, we had a meathead in our studio that played creed 8 hours a day.
ouch... creed... thats just inhumane...
dude, no one deserves that.... barbarians....
just put her phone in the garbage bin when she leaves to go to the bathroom
exchange the battery with vasaline... no better yet - get ahuuuuuuge handfull of "fromunda" cheese and whipe it on the mouthpiece / cellphone... Frumunda cheese has a distinct smell to it.
I'll set the building on fire...
somehow i doubt that j.
we have no HR our office is very lo-fi .. i do believe the principal is nice to the point of being a bit dense <re: to wonderK > (+ he tends to not deal w. things) ..which has both positive + neg. affects. this would probably just irk him - like children complaining/which is why i'd rather be adult and deal w it directly but she just was NASTY. i think maybe she just didn't like being nailed on what she's been up to and may feel threatened that perhaps i may make an issue out of it to the boss ..
the headphones, the Sennheiser HD 280s is a really good idea -
tho CREED blasting is REALLY awesome !! but that would bug too many others here too - bRink i may pitch that cell into the trash though .. how cathartic !
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
thanks for all the feedback ! it helps -
e. that is a quote from "Office Space" - you might have heard about it...
i say get your own cell... just like trigger happy tv....
HELLO!!!.... YEAH!!!.... THE BITCH IS STILL HERE!!!....
ah, thx for the clarity john and apologies to j.
email her a link to this thread. NO message. She can read what others have to say in response to her type of activity...
Since a proper "Donkey Punch" is administered at the peak of climax for that maximum clenching sensation, I think it could solve several issues for both parties. She will listen the next day.
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