Dealing with a constantly interruptive co-worker 10

[Mike555]

I have a co-worker who sits in the cubicle next to me who is always interrupting me for no good reason!!!! This woman is older, in her mid-70s I'd guess, and is the office secratery. She basically does little tasks like ordering office supplies, sending faxes, etc. When she has little to do, which is quite often, she'll casually start a conversation with me from her cubicle. She also quite frequently walks over into my cubicle and just starts talking regardless of what I'm doing. On the average day I'm interrupted at least 15 times! She never talks about anything work-related....it's always about someone in her family, or the weather, or her dog, or her most recent doctor's visit, or a tv show she watched the night before.

Yesterday while at my desk replacing a hard drive, she stood at the entrance of my cubicle watching the whole process and asking questions the entire time! She loves talking to me even more when I'm on lunch. Most days I just like to eat lunch at my desk surfing the web and tek-tipping. Lately I've been going out to lunch more and more to avoid her, but I hate having to spend money going out to eat just to avoid her.

My tactfullness doesn't seem to work. When she interrupts me I try to say things like "I'm busy right now and can't talk", but she just won't stop! Here's an example of an actual conversation that happened last week:

Her: "I wanted to ask you something. I was having trouble pulling up my e-mail last night at home. What could I check to fix this?"
Me: "Well actually I'm in the middle of something right now, but how about we talk about this later when I have some free time?"
Her: "Ok no problem. I was just hoping you would be able to help me. My husband is really upset that e-mail isn't working because he needs to check if someone from ebay sent him an e-mail"
Me: "Ok I'll get back to you later."
Her: "It was giving us some strange message about a password, but we never have to enter a password."
Me: "Like I said, I'll get back to you about it."
Her: "I tell you what, my husband doesn't get upset too often, but when his e-mail doesn't work he gets heated. I just got off the phone with him and he still can't get into e-mail. The last time I saw him this upset is when a power surge ruined our PC. That was, oh, I'd say about 2 years ago. No wait, 3 years ago....I think. Let's see it was right after Christmas when our daughter was visting. It was the first time she visited our new house......

You get the idea. I've only been at the job a little less than 5 months. This woman has been with the company for 9 years, and I certainly don't want to take this issue to my boss and have him think that this 'little-old lady' is too much for me to handle.

Has anyone else had experience dealing with these types of co-workers?

--
Mike

Why make it simple and efficient when it can be complex and wonderful?

 

[Lett]

Mike555,

I agree with Willir on the redirect. Let her in and put her to work. Set her up with a few help desk numbers and she can call and talk their ears off, while trying to figure out her email problem at home.

Good Luck and don't give up!

"Pain is temporary, but quitting is forever." - Lance Armstrong

 

[flugh]

Let me toss in my .02 here as an 'offender'. Our office space has no walls or cubicles. We have four desks, each with a phone (speakerphones available), managed by the owner and myself who have had little formal training on how to run or manage a business. You can imagine the uproar we generate at times ;-)

That being said, the owner and I (best friends for 17+ years) sit 10 feet apart and are guilty of just stomping into each other's conversations, interrupting whatever the other one is doing, and it's getting on my nerves. Not just him doing it to me, but the fact that I do it without thinking and can't seem to stop myself. I'm very aware of other people's 'space' and try not to intrude unless I don't absolutely have to.

My theory? My generation has had a remote control almost it's whole life (I was 10 when we got our first one 24 years ago). When the conversation isn't interesting any more, just click it to another channel. I'm probably not listening, just waiting for my turn to speak (and will blurt right into your conversation when I'm tired of waiting). I pointed out how pitiful the quality of our work conversations tend to be, blaming the cell phone. Cells have made it so cheap and easy to talk at the drop of a hat that nobody thinks about what they'll say before they call. How many times a day do you get interuppted with the phone call, "What are you up to? I'm just driving up the road here.". We are building a new office. The owner says "We need a door from my office to yours." I said "No, we don't. If we have to get up and walk somewhere to bug each other, maybe we'll think about it before possibly wasting both our times"

Anyway, I'm the offender. If I am bugging you like this, just take a second and say "Hey, thanks, but I'm trying to get a job done here. I'll come bug you during your next meeting.". I'll get the idea ;-)

----
JBR

 

[Onyxpurr]

Speaking of which someone did tell me politely the other day to shut up and I survived.

A guy (who's a real sweetie and kind of shy) was walking past my cubicle and stopped to say 'hi'. So I started questioning him about school and his weekend. About 5 minutes into the conversation, he says, "Well I better go...gotta watch the personal conversations." He then smiled and left.

Of course, I was a little surprised at first, but I still appreciate that he just came out and told me. He still stops off every once in awhile, but I'm more sensitive now to ensuring our conversation doesn't last as long.

 

[CasperTFG]

I started doing the headphone thing... But with one persistant co=worker she would jsut stand there until It became rude for me to not take off the headphones...

So now I do what George Costanza on Seinfeld suggested. When people come into my office for idle chit chat. I jsut look really annoyed and concentrate on my monitor and keyboard. (Though he suggested looking really annoyed so that no one would give you more work)

They think I am really busy and into something and simply say... I'll come back later.

Casper

There is room for all of gods creatures, "Right Beside the Mashed Potatoes".

 

[sleipnir214]

My advice is to not depend on hints -- people will either not get them or choose to ignore them. If the person is interrupting your work, tell the person so and has him/her to allow you to work.


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[Tarwn]

I agree with sleipner. Not only will confronting your coworker lead to a better situation, it will also give you a little more practice in confronting others so that next time, be it coworker or manager, you will be a little less anxious to confront them.

Although I also have to admit at liking the "I'm glad you stopped by, could you _________" method. This works great with managers too. "I'm glad you stopped by, I was a little overloaded and was hoping you could help with ____________" or if they catch you on TT, "I spent some time trying to find the solution to (a problm here) and was about to try this forum as a last resort, but maybe you know the answer or a better place to look". Obviously you don't want to use this every time, but it can be quite handy as a subtle way to tell your boss "I'm working, really. No, honest, I am"

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The never-completed website:

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[Kjonnnn]

Maybe she's lonely.

 

[Onyxpurr]

That's funny.

At my last company we hired a temp to do data entry for some employee surveys we had just gotten back and sat her in a cubicle in the back of the building. After a few days I noticed she was gone. When I asked the manager, he said, "Yeah, we received a call from the temp agency the otehr day. She said she quit because nobody talked to her back there and she was lonely." LOL

I didn't realize socializing was part of the job description. She should have went into Marketing instead.

 

[CasperTFG]

She should have come and work with the "Hens" here...

Hens (the old secretary pool that has been here since the 70's so they can't fire them, but they do nothing but gosip all day).

Casper

There is room for all of gods creatures, "Right Beside the Mashed Potatoes".

 

[Kjonnnn]

Socializing at work is a big part of some peoples lives because its the only time they come in contact with other people. Most of you spend half of the day gettn ready for work, working, and coming home.

And people socialize at work in different ways, so chat about stuff that has nothing to do with work. Others, such as members of this site, chat about computer related issues. Its all socializing. I work at place once, where if I had finished my work, I was to sit at my desk and stare, til something else come for me to do. No talking to others, no walking around.

Many older people have no one outside of work to talk to. If you do, you're blessed.

 

[sleipnir214]

Kjonnnn:
You are quite correct.

However, if the socialization is getting in the way of the performance of work duties (the entire reason everyone is there in the first place and the reason why a business is willing to pay employees at all), then the socialization has to be curtailed or eliminated.


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[CasperTFG]

Kjonnnn and sleipnir214

I have to agree... Socializing is a big part of life. I couldn't work at a place where no one talked to each other. On the other hand If I worked where everyone talked to each other all the time, then I would get no work done.

I go for 4 smoke breaks a day and always with other people, I do my socializing then. Aside form that no one really bothers me from my work, because I don't let them.

Casper

There is room for all of gods creatures, "Right Beside the Mashed Potatoes".

 

[SQLSister]

Having worked as a temp hire, it is possible she felt as if she was not included becasue she was a temp. Often businesses treat temps differently. People don't say hello, no one asks them to go to lunch, etc. becasue they figure they won't be there long enough to get to know them. I know when I converted from temp to permanent the way I wa treated drastically improved. It's not so much that you want to talk to people all day long as you don't like feeling invisible.

Feeling as an outsider in a large group is very uncomfortable for many people.

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[Onyxpurr]

I understand that. I've done my fair share of temping. However this girl had only been in one or two days.

 

[jtb]

Then again, some of us don't invite temps to lunch because our wives pack a bag lunch and we eat at our desks... ;-)

obviously _some_ talking is ok... too much is a subjective valuation...

Good luck making the right choice!!

JTB
Have Certs, Will Travel
"A knight without armour in a [cyber] land."

 

[suchasynic]

How about ....

"HEY..LISTEN, I'M BUSY, STOP YAPPING MY EAR OFF! Y'ER DRIVING ME MENTAL AND I'VE BEEN TOLERANT LONG ENOUGH"

Find y'er spine and use it. You obviously don't require her for any part of your job....so if she stopped talking to you and, heaven forbid, labelled you the "bad guy" would that be so bad?....

 

[DoubleD]

Wow suchasynic. I believe that may be the worst advice I've seen posted on this site.

If we ignore the following issues:
1. You work right next to this person on a daily basis.
2. This is the boss's secretary we're talking about.
3. This woman has been with the company 8 years more than our poster.
4. You may need this persons help at some point.

Human decency alone suggests that your response is inappropriate. Do you treat all of your coworkers with this much respect? Do you treat your parents and grandparents with that much respect? If so, I'm sorry to hear how bitter and cynical you're life has become. Please do not heap that upon a group of individuals who are trying to be helpful and supportive of each other.

Rant done.

Pain is stress leaving the body.

DoubleD

 

[ecobb]

Wow suchasynic. I believe that may be the worst advice I've seen posted on this site.

Hope This Helps!

Ecobb

"My work is a game, a very serious game." - M.C. Escher

 

[suchasynic]

It's funny, other people in the forum suggest being rude (SQLSister), but they don't get a scathing response that I get.

If somebody is dense enough to not get the polite hints that they talk to much and interrupt my day over un-important and matters of a personal nature that have nothing to do with work, then what else is one supposed to do? You can only be polite for so long before it just doesn't work.

Furthermore, how does my personal life (the referall to my parents & granparents) have to do with this at all? and
I am offended that you would judge me and suggest that I would treat everybody in this manner -- no, I don't, believe it or not, only the people who obvioulsy have it coming.

Of course, there is always your suggestion:

sheepishly]Another option would be to start making strange noises while she's in your cube. She might think you're weird enough that she doesn't want to be near you.[/sheepishly]

Rather then critisize other people's suggestions -- do have anything else more constructive to offer?

 

[GMcNamara]

suchasynic,
SQLSister listed being rude as an option which she recommended against.