Open Office Etiquette 5

[LTeeple]

Dear fellow Tek-Tipsters,

What are your opinions of the following scenario, and how would you handle it?

You work in an open office. There are 9 cubicles in your office. You receive a phone call. Once finished the phone call, the person in the cube directly in front of you makes a comment about the phone call you just had.

Would it bother you that people listen to your conversations?
Would you ask for at least an attempt at privacy?
How would you go about this?


Cheers!
Laura

 

[CasperTFG]

I try to lead by example when it comes to phone use. I don't bring my cell phone in to work, it stays in the car. I don't get an excesive number of personal calls to my work phone, but as I do have a new baby at home there are some calls I must take.

So to lead by example when I am in someone elses office and their phone rings I politley bow out of their office and close their door. This lets them know I respect their privacy. When the person is done with their call they can call me back in.

With another person that worked in our office, there was no other way BUT to overhear all his conversations. I think maybe he didn't know how to use the receiver because he was always on speaker phone. I worked 8 doors down from him and one day i could overhear his entire order for a sofa that he was making with IKEA. So I went over to his office and closed his door for him. After that he got better.

Casper

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

 

[ESquared]

I want to apologize for being off-topic in my post. It was unnecessary.

On-topic, I would have to say that the politeness or rudeness of someone commenting on your phone call really depends on the content of the call. And I don't think it really has anything to do with you being on the phone or not.

If I just ordered an aardvark-anchovy pizza, I wouldn't care if someone asked if I've ever found anyone else who likes that kind, because it's rather unusual!

If you I made a doctor's appointment and afterward someone asked what malady I am experiencing, then I would rightly be slightly annoyed at the need to politely tell him to mind his own business (as, for example, I may not be interested in confessing exactly what is going wrong with my privates, or something).

I'd be curious to know what it is your coworkers commented about that was distressing to you. But of course... I hesitate to ask because I don't want to distress you further, or be guilty of the offense, myself.

-------------------------------------
A sacrifice is harder when no one knows you've made it.

 

[Albion]

The problem here is that you are upset about someone invading your privacy. First of all the burden of privacy is upon your shoulders. If the call is that important that it needs to be private that you need to take the initiative to make it private. We live in a world where the boundaries between personal space are getting smaller and smaller every day. You can't expect to walk down the street talking on your cell phone and not have someone overhear.

As for commenting on a phone call; I have done it myself. I was sitting at a bar one night with a bunch of friends and I over heard a guy talking on his cell phone next to me about needing computer services. I simply said, "I am sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear. My name is Craig, and I offer just the services that you need." And today I still do side work for his company. If I hadn't overheard or had drown it out we would have never met.

As for the volume issue, I actually tend to whisper on the phone, as my receiver is rather loud, and I don't want to overwhelm the other end of the line.

This is irrelevant. I once dated a girl that could hear what I was whispering on the phone from across my house with the TV going and all the doors and windows open. Everyone has a different level of sensitivity in their hearing, just because you can't hear it doesn't mean someone else can’t.

this is the first instance I've had of an active listener to my conversations - work related or no.

You don't know this. This is just the first time someone has said something. Maybe you're a loud whisperer and no one has ever spoken up about it.

About you specific problem, without knowing the context of the conversation or the comment that was made there is no way to make an opinion. What if you had been talking to a client and had made a major error about company product. If I had overheard that I would have told you about it, not to be nosey but to stop you from making a career-breaking mistake. But if you were talking to your spouse about a wart that you have somewhere private I would have probably kept it quiet. Although, that type of conversation is best kept to an area where you know someone isn't going to possibly overhear you.

In an open work environment you must take it upon yourself to make sure that what you don't want heard is not heard because you cannot force another person not to listen to you. Whether this is ethically right or wrong is strictly a matter of opinion in your environment.

-Al

 

[kmcginn]

I too work in an open office environment and I know what you mean. It is very annoying, but sometimes it can't be helped. Overhearing conversations in a cube office is a way of life, but commenting on someone's conversation, private or not, is not professional, and should not be tolerated.

I like the idea from the poster who said, apologize for being too loud, but explain that you really don't appreciate any comments on your conversation. Even though you really weren't too loud, it makes you the bigger person and puts the offender in his/her place. Hopefully it will stop any future comments. Sometimes it's inevitable that someone will overhear, but comments hould not be made, IMO.

Good Luck!

 

[LTeeple]

Thank you kmcginn,
Your response stuck to the subject at hand, was concise, and exactly the type of response I was looking for. (i.e. is appropriate, is not appropriate).

All the best


Cheers!
Laura

 

[Thadeus]

I am actually unable to turn off other conversations. It is greatly annoying for me. My brain will actively try to interpret every sound it hears.

I can be at a restaurant with my wife and kids and I will pick up on other table's conversations as well as my own. I honestly don't want to.

When sitting at work, I need to wear headphones much of the time, because discussion in other nearby groups is absolutely distracting.

I don't however comment on what I hear, unless it is obvious that I am "invited" to.

~Thadeus

 

[Kjonnnn]

I think this thread addressed all of the various aspects of conversation in an open office, not just the one sidedness of the original post. The blame of an overheard conversation should not fall 100% on the "listener." If I don't want my conversation heard, I go into an office and close the door. I can't get mad at my office mate for hearing my conversation (especially if I have the option of having it privately somewhere else). And even if they don't comment on my conversation, I can assume they heard it.

 

[Toni269]

Laura,

I had a co worker who could see my cubicle from where I sat and would eavesdrop and listen to all calls (none personal, all business, practically whispering) not only would they make comments ALL DAY LONG but they would read the caller ID on my ringing phone while I was away. Having someone crawl under my skin like that not only annoyed me to the point of wanting to quit but scared me. People need to mind their own business and get back to their own work. (Asking this person to stop only made things worse.) They don't work with me anymore and my life at work since then has been heaven. I feel for you, it's just a terrible feeling when you get "invaded" like that even in a public area by these people. I love Susan's idea!

Thadeus at least you are trying not to listen even though you can hear, I just can't understand that, I work all day in a cubicle, I can hear other people but I just don't process the conversations, and never even hear my name on the overhead page because I'm so tuned out & focused on what I'm doing.