crumble
23-03-13, 18:28
Hi all,
I’ve got a problem at work and not sure what to do... it's a bit of a long story, but I’m just trying to get most of it across.
I’ve worked at a company for nearly 5 years, I like the work I do, but like most jobs there are certain aggravations. I’ve put up with one for as long as I’ve worked there and I’ve had just about enough.
There’s a woman there, I believe she’s about 33, a few years younger than me, who’s very popular, comes across as friendly and pleasant, but is extremely loud and distracting.
I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when she doesn’t distract me from my work. I’ve mentioned this to my line manager several times but there isn’t anything they will do to help me. I’ve asked, as the easiest option, if I could wear earphones to listen to some music to block out some of the sound. But I was told no by the company owner, because it would ‘ruin the dynamic of the office’ (errrr what now?).
They told me I could wear earplugs, but I didn’t as I don’t find them effective at all.
So I’ve just had to put up with it and I’m now at the end of my tether.
Last week a colleague dropped a heavy object on his foot and went to hospital. I heard this woman laughing and taking the piddle out of the colleague after he’d left. I was so annoyed at her and my facial expression must have said so when I glanced over at her a couple of times while she was laughing.
A few hours after this one of the loud woman’s friends sitting across from her starts whistling loudly. I wasn’t sure who was doing it so I just glanced over and back. I didn’t think much of it (she does it a lot!) but straight after this the loud woman made a comment to her friend something like “oh don’t, you might be distracting people”.
I didn’t know at that point but I’d kind of guessed that it was directed at me. I just smiled at her in bemusement!
And then the next day this happened...
A guy sits behind me, who I’m not fond of to put it mildly. Think of the most insolent person you’ve known, then quadruple it. Yep, that bad. Well this is where I lost the plot slightly...
My work friend who sits next to this guy spotted, when he was leaving for the day, that the guy behind me had left his computer unlocked with his email open. The guy had already left work that day, as had most other people in the office.
Well I’m afraid the temptation was too much for us both and we had a look through his emails. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. I don’t know what I was expecting to find, there wasn’t anything in particular in mind. I read a few emails that were about me.
One of them was from the guy behind me to the loud woman’s friend suggesting that they be loud all afternoon just to annoy me - it said my name – right about the time she started whistling.
And there was another email discussing how I had pulled a face at the loud woman, and other nasty things about me.
I know it’s my own fault for looking. No one want to read things like that about yourself. But it doesn’t surprise me from them as they’re very immature people. It took me right back to being at school.
What does annoy me though is that the loud woman and her friend are actually being loud on purpose... and by the looks of it just to annoy me! I dread to think how long this has been going on for. I had assumed that they were just obnoxious people who didn’t know any better, but it appears that they do.
So that was the final straw for me. I don’t want to go back there on Monday I just wish I could leave. Obviously there’s bills to pay so I can’t do that.
I’m going to be talking to my manager on Monday and asking if I can be moved to the other end of the office, ideally for our department to move down there (there’s only 6 of us).
The woman and her friend are in a different department to me, but in the same area of the office.
Luckily the guy behind me is leaving on Thursday, so that’s one less moron to worry about!
I'm not sure if my manager will get the approval though to move us. The company owner is a funny one who likes things just so. (Don't get me started!!)
So if we can't move down the office, I'm stuck there being purposely annoyed by people. I'm not sure how much I can take that.
I’m already looking for another job, been looking for a while now. The field I work in is very competitive so it’s not easy. I'm wondering if I should just get any job. But the makes for a strange CV and having to explain it at job interviews.
Btw, I’m taking citalopram for depression and anxiety. I’ve just upped my dose lately to try and help me out of a bit of a rut I feel I’m in. It’s early days...
I'm easily annoyed by annoying noises. And I know that I'm not the only one in the office that this loud woman is bothered by.
What would you do in this situation? (Other than want to throttle them!!) Any words of wisdom highly appreciated!
Thanks for reading xx
I’ve got a problem at work and not sure what to do... it's a bit of a long story, but I’m just trying to get most of it across.
I’ve worked at a company for nearly 5 years, I like the work I do, but like most jobs there are certain aggravations. I’ve put up with one for as long as I’ve worked there and I’ve had just about enough.
There’s a woman there, I believe she’s about 33, a few years younger than me, who’s very popular, comes across as friendly and pleasant, but is extremely loud and distracting.
I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when she doesn’t distract me from my work. I’ve mentioned this to my line manager several times but there isn’t anything they will do to help me. I’ve asked, as the easiest option, if I could wear earphones to listen to some music to block out some of the sound. But I was told no by the company owner, because it would ‘ruin the dynamic of the office’ (errrr what now?).
They told me I could wear earplugs, but I didn’t as I don’t find them effective at all.
So I’ve just had to put up with it and I’m now at the end of my tether.
Last week a colleague dropped a heavy object on his foot and went to hospital. I heard this woman laughing and taking the piddle out of the colleague after he’d left. I was so annoyed at her and my facial expression must have said so when I glanced over at her a couple of times while she was laughing.
A few hours after this one of the loud woman’s friends sitting across from her starts whistling loudly. I wasn’t sure who was doing it so I just glanced over and back. I didn’t think much of it (she does it a lot!) but straight after this the loud woman made a comment to her friend something like “oh don’t, you might be distracting people”.
I didn’t know at that point but I’d kind of guessed that it was directed at me. I just smiled at her in bemusement!
And then the next day this happened...
A guy sits behind me, who I’m not fond of to put it mildly. Think of the most insolent person you’ve known, then quadruple it. Yep, that bad. Well this is where I lost the plot slightly...
My work friend who sits next to this guy spotted, when he was leaving for the day, that the guy behind me had left his computer unlocked with his email open. The guy had already left work that day, as had most other people in the office.
Well I’m afraid the temptation was too much for us both and we had a look through his emails. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. I don’t know what I was expecting to find, there wasn’t anything in particular in mind. I read a few emails that were about me.
One of them was from the guy behind me to the loud woman’s friend suggesting that they be loud all afternoon just to annoy me - it said my name – right about the time she started whistling.
And there was another email discussing how I had pulled a face at the loud woman, and other nasty things about me.
I know it’s my own fault for looking. No one want to read things like that about yourself. But it doesn’t surprise me from them as they’re very immature people. It took me right back to being at school.
What does annoy me though is that the loud woman and her friend are actually being loud on purpose... and by the looks of it just to annoy me! I dread to think how long this has been going on for. I had assumed that they were just obnoxious people who didn’t know any better, but it appears that they do.
So that was the final straw for me. I don’t want to go back there on Monday I just wish I could leave. Obviously there’s bills to pay so I can’t do that.
I’m going to be talking to my manager on Monday and asking if I can be moved to the other end of the office, ideally for our department to move down there (there’s only 6 of us).
The woman and her friend are in a different department to me, but in the same area of the office.
Luckily the guy behind me is leaving on Thursday, so that’s one less moron to worry about!
I'm not sure if my manager will get the approval though to move us. The company owner is a funny one who likes things just so. (Don't get me started!!)
So if we can't move down the office, I'm stuck there being purposely annoyed by people. I'm not sure how much I can take that.
I’m already looking for another job, been looking for a while now. The field I work in is very competitive so it’s not easy. I'm wondering if I should just get any job. But the makes for a strange CV and having to explain it at job interviews.
Btw, I’m taking citalopram for depression and anxiety. I’ve just upped my dose lately to try and help me out of a bit of a rut I feel I’m in. It’s early days...
I'm easily annoyed by annoying noises. And I know that I'm not the only one in the office that this loud woman is bothered by.
What would you do in this situation? (Other than want to throttle them!!) Any words of wisdom highly appreciated!
Thanks for reading xx