How to deal with a nonstop chatter [duplicate]

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  • When is it appropriate to “go up the ladder” when someone isn't doing their job and it's affecting you? [duplicate]

    4 answers



  • What can I do about a very loud coworker?

    10 answers



About 6 months ago the BI and IT groups of my company moved into a new office space.



Everything was nice and quite for several months, then about 2 months ago a person I don't know returned from maternity leave.



For 2 months straight she has done absolutely nothing except for chit chatting, gossiping, and taking personal phone calls. It's incredibly disruptive.



Our work requires a lot of concentration, thus group meetings are held in conference rooms and individuals either disable sound on their computers or wear headphones. With the hours of marathon non-stop blabbing this person does, carrying out actual work has become very difficult.



I don't believe she's ever done any actual work since she's been here and she apparently has no shame about having long, very personal, and at times offensive conversations. If she can't find someone to talk to for more than 5 minutes she leaves her desk and goes to the break room in search of company. I think she's some sort of secretary for someone who is in a different office location.



What's a good way to deal with this? Thus far we've been using headphones with white noise, but after several hours that becomes uncomfortable and it seems kind of ridiculous that all of the people who work have to wear headphones and listen to white noise just to cope with the world's worst employee.



Note that there's a fine difference between this and dealing with a loud coworker.



Someone who is simply loud can just lower their voice, without changing the frequency or content of their discussion. In this case the change needed is far bigger because we would like this person to talk 95% less often and reduce her personal conversations and gossip by 99%. Based on her behavior, I expect that she would find such a situation unbearable. It would also be nice if she did some work on occasion.







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marked as duplicate by Joe Strazzere, Adam V, Chris E, gnat, Jim G. Feb 18 '16 at 21:25


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.










  • 1




    I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
    – Richard U
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:51






  • 3




    What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
    – Philip Kendall
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:53










  • The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 20:32











  • @gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 21:12






  • 1




    I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
    – Sidius
    Feb 23 '16 at 14:16
















up vote
2
down vote

favorite
1













This question already has an answer here:



  • When is it appropriate to “go up the ladder” when someone isn't doing their job and it's affecting you? [duplicate]

    4 answers



  • What can I do about a very loud coworker?

    10 answers



About 6 months ago the BI and IT groups of my company moved into a new office space.



Everything was nice and quite for several months, then about 2 months ago a person I don't know returned from maternity leave.



For 2 months straight she has done absolutely nothing except for chit chatting, gossiping, and taking personal phone calls. It's incredibly disruptive.



Our work requires a lot of concentration, thus group meetings are held in conference rooms and individuals either disable sound on their computers or wear headphones. With the hours of marathon non-stop blabbing this person does, carrying out actual work has become very difficult.



I don't believe she's ever done any actual work since she's been here and she apparently has no shame about having long, very personal, and at times offensive conversations. If she can't find someone to talk to for more than 5 minutes she leaves her desk and goes to the break room in search of company. I think she's some sort of secretary for someone who is in a different office location.



What's a good way to deal with this? Thus far we've been using headphones with white noise, but after several hours that becomes uncomfortable and it seems kind of ridiculous that all of the people who work have to wear headphones and listen to white noise just to cope with the world's worst employee.



Note that there's a fine difference between this and dealing with a loud coworker.



Someone who is simply loud can just lower their voice, without changing the frequency or content of their discussion. In this case the change needed is far bigger because we would like this person to talk 95% less often and reduce her personal conversations and gossip by 99%. Based on her behavior, I expect that she would find such a situation unbearable. It would also be nice if she did some work on occasion.







share|improve this question














marked as duplicate by Joe Strazzere, Adam V, Chris E, gnat, Jim G. Feb 18 '16 at 21:25


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.










  • 1




    I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
    – Richard U
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:51






  • 3




    What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
    – Philip Kendall
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:53










  • The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 20:32











  • @gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 21:12






  • 1




    I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
    – Sidius
    Feb 23 '16 at 14:16












up vote
2
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
2
down vote

favorite
1






1






This question already has an answer here:



  • When is it appropriate to “go up the ladder” when someone isn't doing their job and it's affecting you? [duplicate]

    4 answers



  • What can I do about a very loud coworker?

    10 answers



About 6 months ago the BI and IT groups of my company moved into a new office space.



Everything was nice and quite for several months, then about 2 months ago a person I don't know returned from maternity leave.



For 2 months straight she has done absolutely nothing except for chit chatting, gossiping, and taking personal phone calls. It's incredibly disruptive.



Our work requires a lot of concentration, thus group meetings are held in conference rooms and individuals either disable sound on their computers or wear headphones. With the hours of marathon non-stop blabbing this person does, carrying out actual work has become very difficult.



I don't believe she's ever done any actual work since she's been here and she apparently has no shame about having long, very personal, and at times offensive conversations. If she can't find someone to talk to for more than 5 minutes she leaves her desk and goes to the break room in search of company. I think she's some sort of secretary for someone who is in a different office location.



What's a good way to deal with this? Thus far we've been using headphones with white noise, but after several hours that becomes uncomfortable and it seems kind of ridiculous that all of the people who work have to wear headphones and listen to white noise just to cope with the world's worst employee.



Note that there's a fine difference between this and dealing with a loud coworker.



Someone who is simply loud can just lower their voice, without changing the frequency or content of their discussion. In this case the change needed is far bigger because we would like this person to talk 95% less often and reduce her personal conversations and gossip by 99%. Based on her behavior, I expect that she would find such a situation unbearable. It would also be nice if she did some work on occasion.







share|improve this question















This question already has an answer here:



  • When is it appropriate to “go up the ladder” when someone isn't doing their job and it's affecting you? [duplicate]

    4 answers



  • What can I do about a very loud coworker?

    10 answers



About 6 months ago the BI and IT groups of my company moved into a new office space.



Everything was nice and quite for several months, then about 2 months ago a person I don't know returned from maternity leave.



For 2 months straight she has done absolutely nothing except for chit chatting, gossiping, and taking personal phone calls. It's incredibly disruptive.



Our work requires a lot of concentration, thus group meetings are held in conference rooms and individuals either disable sound on their computers or wear headphones. With the hours of marathon non-stop blabbing this person does, carrying out actual work has become very difficult.



I don't believe she's ever done any actual work since she's been here and she apparently has no shame about having long, very personal, and at times offensive conversations. If she can't find someone to talk to for more than 5 minutes she leaves her desk and goes to the break room in search of company. I think she's some sort of secretary for someone who is in a different office location.



What's a good way to deal with this? Thus far we've been using headphones with white noise, but after several hours that becomes uncomfortable and it seems kind of ridiculous that all of the people who work have to wear headphones and listen to white noise just to cope with the world's worst employee.



Note that there's a fine difference between this and dealing with a loud coworker.



Someone who is simply loud can just lower their voice, without changing the frequency or content of their discussion. In this case the change needed is far bigger because we would like this person to talk 95% less often and reduce her personal conversations and gossip by 99%. Based on her behavior, I expect that she would find such a situation unbearable. It would also be nice if she did some work on occasion.





This question already has an answer here:



  • When is it appropriate to “go up the ladder” when someone isn't doing their job and it's affecting you? [duplicate]

    4 answers



  • What can I do about a very loud coworker?

    10 answers









share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Feb 18 '16 at 20:31

























asked Feb 18 '16 at 18:43









Hackz

326411




326411




marked as duplicate by Joe Strazzere, Adam V, Chris E, gnat, Jim G. Feb 18 '16 at 21:25


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.






marked as duplicate by Joe Strazzere, Adam V, Chris E, gnat, Jim G. Feb 18 '16 at 21:25


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.









  • 1




    I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
    – Richard U
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:51






  • 3




    What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
    – Philip Kendall
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:53










  • The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 20:32











  • @gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 21:12






  • 1




    I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
    – Sidius
    Feb 23 '16 at 14:16












  • 1




    I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
    – Richard U
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:51






  • 3




    What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
    – Philip Kendall
    Feb 18 '16 at 18:53










  • The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 20:32











  • @gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
    – Hackz
    Feb 18 '16 at 21:12






  • 1




    I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
    – Sidius
    Feb 23 '16 at 14:16







1




1




I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
– Richard U
Feb 18 '16 at 18:51




I think it's a different issue. That other one is dealing with a coworker who is not being actively offensive. This one seems to be going out of her way to be disruptive.
– Richard U
Feb 18 '16 at 18:51




3




3




What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
– Philip Kendall
Feb 18 '16 at 18:53




What has your manager said when you raised the issue with them?
– Philip Kendall
Feb 18 '16 at 18:53












The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
– Hackz
Feb 18 '16 at 20:32





The people who sit near her have different managers and none of our managers are in this building. They wouldn't want us to approach them about something like this. @JoeStrazzere I edited the question to explain why this is different than dealing with a loud coworker.
– Hackz
Feb 18 '16 at 20:32













@gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
– Hackz
Feb 18 '16 at 21:12




@gnat Going up the ladder is not an option in my workplace's culture
– Hackz
Feb 18 '16 at 21:12




1




1




I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
– Sidius
Feb 23 '16 at 14:16




I know exactly what it's like. I had the same issue with a colleague; man was she loud. I would only advise you to tread lightly. When I took action she took it personally and I had to go to the managment to solve it. It did not end well. If she won't stop with your first "hint" say it loud enough in your office, making sure that the other colleagues will hear you too. Hereby I give you the triforce piece of courage, you'll need it :P
– Sidius
Feb 23 '16 at 14:16










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
4
down vote



accepted










Tell her to keep it down so you can concentrate. There is nothing wrong with effectively telling people to shut up in a polite way. Tell her you're busy when she speaks to you on non work related things.



Failing that talk to your manager, and tell the manager you can't concentrate because of the noise. It will depend on the manager and room availability if she gets moved or perhaps if you get moved or if you have to put up with it. Either way you can move forwards from that conversation.






share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    2
    down vote













    To resolve this issue, you need to do several things. She is not making work-related noise, so this is something that can be dealt with by management.



    First, politely ask her to be quiet when she is being disruptive with non-work-related conversations. Ask her every time she gets on a personal phone call to move to the break room because she is disrupting work. Document the times you have asked her, her response and how long it was until the disruption started. Get others in the group to do the same and document when they did it as well.



    After two or three days of this, go to your manager with the log of what you have tried to do to resolve the problem and the evidence that shows how extensive the problem is (i.e. the number of times in a day or two that you had to ask her to not have a private or non-work-related conversation.) Ask you boss to discuss the issue with her boss and resolve the problem. If the issue is not resolved in a couple of days, you can take your log to HR and ask them to resolve the issue.



    Be aware, the only way this person may shut up is if she is fired for non-performance. But by showing your boss and hers how often you have to get her off the phone on private conversations, you are actually pointing out to them that she does not apparently have enough work to do or is not doing it.






    share|improve this answer



























      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes








      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      4
      down vote



      accepted










      Tell her to keep it down so you can concentrate. There is nothing wrong with effectively telling people to shut up in a polite way. Tell her you're busy when she speaks to you on non work related things.



      Failing that talk to your manager, and tell the manager you can't concentrate because of the noise. It will depend on the manager and room availability if she gets moved or perhaps if you get moved or if you have to put up with it. Either way you can move forwards from that conversation.






      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        4
        down vote



        accepted










        Tell her to keep it down so you can concentrate. There is nothing wrong with effectively telling people to shut up in a polite way. Tell her you're busy when she speaks to you on non work related things.



        Failing that talk to your manager, and tell the manager you can't concentrate because of the noise. It will depend on the manager and room availability if she gets moved or perhaps if you get moved or if you have to put up with it. Either way you can move forwards from that conversation.






        share|improve this answer






















          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          4
          down vote



          accepted






          Tell her to keep it down so you can concentrate. There is nothing wrong with effectively telling people to shut up in a polite way. Tell her you're busy when she speaks to you on non work related things.



          Failing that talk to your manager, and tell the manager you can't concentrate because of the noise. It will depend on the manager and room availability if she gets moved or perhaps if you get moved or if you have to put up with it. Either way you can move forwards from that conversation.






          share|improve this answer












          Tell her to keep it down so you can concentrate. There is nothing wrong with effectively telling people to shut up in a polite way. Tell her you're busy when she speaks to you on non work related things.



          Failing that talk to your manager, and tell the manager you can't concentrate because of the noise. It will depend on the manager and room availability if she gets moved or perhaps if you get moved or if you have to put up with it. Either way you can move forwards from that conversation.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Feb 18 '16 at 19:15









          Kilisi

          94.6k50216376




          94.6k50216376






















              up vote
              2
              down vote













              To resolve this issue, you need to do several things. She is not making work-related noise, so this is something that can be dealt with by management.



              First, politely ask her to be quiet when she is being disruptive with non-work-related conversations. Ask her every time she gets on a personal phone call to move to the break room because she is disrupting work. Document the times you have asked her, her response and how long it was until the disruption started. Get others in the group to do the same and document when they did it as well.



              After two or three days of this, go to your manager with the log of what you have tried to do to resolve the problem and the evidence that shows how extensive the problem is (i.e. the number of times in a day or two that you had to ask her to not have a private or non-work-related conversation.) Ask you boss to discuss the issue with her boss and resolve the problem. If the issue is not resolved in a couple of days, you can take your log to HR and ask them to resolve the issue.



              Be aware, the only way this person may shut up is if she is fired for non-performance. But by showing your boss and hers how often you have to get her off the phone on private conversations, you are actually pointing out to them that she does not apparently have enough work to do or is not doing it.






              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                2
                down vote













                To resolve this issue, you need to do several things. She is not making work-related noise, so this is something that can be dealt with by management.



                First, politely ask her to be quiet when she is being disruptive with non-work-related conversations. Ask her every time she gets on a personal phone call to move to the break room because she is disrupting work. Document the times you have asked her, her response and how long it was until the disruption started. Get others in the group to do the same and document when they did it as well.



                After two or three days of this, go to your manager with the log of what you have tried to do to resolve the problem and the evidence that shows how extensive the problem is (i.e. the number of times in a day or two that you had to ask her to not have a private or non-work-related conversation.) Ask you boss to discuss the issue with her boss and resolve the problem. If the issue is not resolved in a couple of days, you can take your log to HR and ask them to resolve the issue.



                Be aware, the only way this person may shut up is if she is fired for non-performance. But by showing your boss and hers how often you have to get her off the phone on private conversations, you are actually pointing out to them that she does not apparently have enough work to do or is not doing it.






                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  2
                  down vote









                  To resolve this issue, you need to do several things. She is not making work-related noise, so this is something that can be dealt with by management.



                  First, politely ask her to be quiet when she is being disruptive with non-work-related conversations. Ask her every time she gets on a personal phone call to move to the break room because she is disrupting work. Document the times you have asked her, her response and how long it was until the disruption started. Get others in the group to do the same and document when they did it as well.



                  After two or three days of this, go to your manager with the log of what you have tried to do to resolve the problem and the evidence that shows how extensive the problem is (i.e. the number of times in a day or two that you had to ask her to not have a private or non-work-related conversation.) Ask you boss to discuss the issue with her boss and resolve the problem. If the issue is not resolved in a couple of days, you can take your log to HR and ask them to resolve the issue.



                  Be aware, the only way this person may shut up is if she is fired for non-performance. But by showing your boss and hers how often you have to get her off the phone on private conversations, you are actually pointing out to them that she does not apparently have enough work to do or is not doing it.






                  share|improve this answer












                  To resolve this issue, you need to do several things. She is not making work-related noise, so this is something that can be dealt with by management.



                  First, politely ask her to be quiet when she is being disruptive with non-work-related conversations. Ask her every time she gets on a personal phone call to move to the break room because she is disrupting work. Document the times you have asked her, her response and how long it was until the disruption started. Get others in the group to do the same and document when they did it as well.



                  After two or three days of this, go to your manager with the log of what you have tried to do to resolve the problem and the evidence that shows how extensive the problem is (i.e. the number of times in a day or two that you had to ask her to not have a private or non-work-related conversation.) Ask you boss to discuss the issue with her boss and resolve the problem. If the issue is not resolved in a couple of days, you can take your log to HR and ask them to resolve the issue.



                  Be aware, the only way this person may shut up is if she is fired for non-performance. But by showing your boss and hers how often you have to get her off the phone on private conversations, you are actually pointing out to them that she does not apparently have enough work to do or is not doing it.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Feb 18 '16 at 20:28









                  HLGEM

                  133k25226489




                  133k25226489












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