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The Greatest Workplace Annoyance: The Loud TalkerFrom bored to really pissed off! |
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
25th of July 2007, 12:43 GMT
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While in the office, I've got some amazing information. For example, which the likes and dislikes of my co-worker's cat are, where the cat pees, and that in Siberia (man!?!) there really are killer trees! And how to drink barrels of booze, pig out like nobody else does, kick the a*s of a mother f**ker while you're out with your "gang". Not to mention the endless explanations on how to train your muscles using a Power Ball... and which the color of the last bought sport shoes is ... And what it would be like for a cat to have five legs, three heads, two wings, three tails and to moo...
How he rented a posh bar for his birthday party last year (when he was unemployed), and the hottest news about motor bikes and equipment for bikers (this is…well…peachy!, especially when you're not interested and he/she does not even have a driving license). Anyway, there's nobody better, smarter, more interesting, or waggish and so on.
Yeah, you'll probably say that these issues are usually discussed with a friend or just an acquaintance over a beer pint in a pub. But what if you're
not really a friend of that person? Or not even listening? Or the information is not even addressed to you? And all this happens while you're beating your brains out and trying to focus on a new task?
That's the classic workplace loud talker.
Not to mention, oh yeah, those cell phone conversations. Apparently, for some people, the notion of mobile phone seems not to point necessarily towards the meaning of "mobile", that is towards 'something' that enables you to move around from one place to another... if not to have an intimate conversation, at least to protect your work mates who are not really dying to find out your program for the next hours, days, weeks (I guess such people feel that they look so interesting describing their schedules, compared to their 'dull' work-mates...).
Office loud talkers are everywhere, and the worst part is they do not even get the fact that, for the others, this attitude they're showing off is nothing but boring, tiring, annoying, headache-giving, and really detestable. They should understand that common sense calls for having personal conversations outside of the office or in the hallway.
A recent survey has found the loud talker to be top of the list of the worst workplace annoyances.
Other "workplace disturbances" are those people who leave a mess in the kitchen, bring foul-smelling food for lunch (who the hell invented canned tuna?), turn the volume of their computer speakers so loud that everyone knows by the famous 'ding' when an instant message has "arrived".
Of 2,318 subjects surveyed in March 2006 by Harris Interactive and Randstad, 32% pointed out the office loud talker as their biggest pet peeve. 30% indicated the annoying cellphone ringtone (the damn belly dance or the latest omnipresent dance hit); and 22% complained mainly about speakerphones.
Besides a tense atmosphere, the louds talker also reduces productivity in a company, as many activities - such as text editing - require silence. "Not saying anything to the co-worker is a mistake. It's just a matter of saying it in the right tone of voice.", says Barbara Pachter, an executive coach who specializes in business etiquette and wrote a book on the subject "When the Little Things Count ... and They Always Count".
"Be polite yet powerful. Do that by saying what's bothering you and explaining the effect it has on your work. Then ask the person to either lower his or her voice or take personal calls out of the office. Then, ask if that's OK, to make sure the other person understands and will comply. " said Pachter.
And here's an illustrative example: "Hey, you might not realize--I hear your conversation and it's distracting to me. I'm having a hard time working. Could you please lower your voice? OK?"
You can mock him for the stupid details he's telling out loud so that everybody could hear them (but this is just a partial solution, as the person will just start to address others, not you). Do not hesitate to remind the person what your demand was. "Remember that conversation we had the other day? Your voice is getting loud again."
Consequently, for a more harmonious and productive workplace environment: use the Silent mode of your cellphone while at the office, eat smelly lunches outside, turn down the volume of your computer's loudspeakers and close the door when you have a phone conversation!
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| Comment #1 by: dreamsoul on 26 Jul 2007, 20:28 GMT |  reply to this comment | Nice article man :) I must add, now that's truly fu**ing hot, some might even get a daily shower, the colleagues would appreciate if they they'd do it in the morning. I really hate those stinkers. Some people have 2 (TWO) showers a day! |
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