Helping colleague's annoying behavior [closed]

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One of my colleagues is helping me on a project, as he has prior experience with such a project, and the product is pretty new for all involved. I asked him about small doubts I had during the functionality stage. However I am able to code and make the project work. He is so annoying these days when he tries to poke into my system to check my code. He says that he just wants to make sure that he is not giving me bad advice. He comes to my workspace and starts conversations. During the conversation he will grab my mouse and switch between tabs to check how I have coded which I find very annoying. I am very thankful for his help but I don't like his actions. How can I politely express my concerns to him?







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closed as off-topic by Masked Man♦, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager Feb 24 '16 at 10:47


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Masked Man, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.












  • My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
    – blankip
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:51






  • 2




    Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
    – HLGEM
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53






  • 3




    Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
    – Chan-Ho Suh
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53
















up vote
0
down vote

favorite












One of my colleagues is helping me on a project, as he has prior experience with such a project, and the product is pretty new for all involved. I asked him about small doubts I had during the functionality stage. However I am able to code and make the project work. He is so annoying these days when he tries to poke into my system to check my code. He says that he just wants to make sure that he is not giving me bad advice. He comes to my workspace and starts conversations. During the conversation he will grab my mouse and switch between tabs to check how I have coded which I find very annoying. I am very thankful for his help but I don't like his actions. How can I politely express my concerns to him?







share|improve this question














closed as off-topic by Masked Man♦, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager Feb 24 '16 at 10:47


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Masked Man, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.












  • My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
    – blankip
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:51






  • 2




    Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
    – HLGEM
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53






  • 3




    Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
    – Chan-Ho Suh
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53












up vote
0
down vote

favorite









up vote
0
down vote

favorite











One of my colleagues is helping me on a project, as he has prior experience with such a project, and the product is pretty new for all involved. I asked him about small doubts I had during the functionality stage. However I am able to code and make the project work. He is so annoying these days when he tries to poke into my system to check my code. He says that he just wants to make sure that he is not giving me bad advice. He comes to my workspace and starts conversations. During the conversation he will grab my mouse and switch between tabs to check how I have coded which I find very annoying. I am very thankful for his help but I don't like his actions. How can I politely express my concerns to him?







share|improve this question














One of my colleagues is helping me on a project, as he has prior experience with such a project, and the product is pretty new for all involved. I asked him about small doubts I had during the functionality stage. However I am able to code and make the project work. He is so annoying these days when he tries to poke into my system to check my code. He says that he just wants to make sure that he is not giving me bad advice. He comes to my workspace and starts conversations. During the conversation he will grab my mouse and switch between tabs to check how I have coded which I find very annoying. I am very thankful for his help but I don't like his actions. How can I politely express my concerns to him?









share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Feb 23 '16 at 22:15









Lilienthal♦

53.9k36183218




53.9k36183218










asked Feb 23 '16 at 21:39









Akansha

37638




37638




closed as off-topic by Masked Man♦, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager Feb 24 '16 at 10:47


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Masked Man, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




closed as off-topic by Masked Man♦, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager Feb 24 '16 at 10:47


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:


  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Masked Man, Dawny33, panoptical, gnat, The Wandering Dev Manager
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.











  • My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
    – blankip
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:51






  • 2




    Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
    – HLGEM
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53






  • 3




    Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
    – Chan-Ho Suh
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53
















  • My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
    – blankip
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:51






  • 2




    Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
    – HLGEM
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53






  • 3




    Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
    – Chan-Ho Suh
    Feb 23 '16 at 21:53















My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
– blankip
Feb 23 '16 at 21:51




My guess is that he is not trying to be annoying or overbearing, but he is looking for clues on how to do his job.
– blankip
Feb 23 '16 at 21:51




2




2




Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
– HLGEM
Feb 23 '16 at 21:53




Politely ask him not to grab your mouse. But also don't be overprotective of the code, it is not your code but the company's. He is doing nothing at all wrong by wanting to look at the code.
– HLGEM
Feb 23 '16 at 21:53




3




3




Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
– Chan-Ho Suh
Feb 23 '16 at 21:53




Could you be clearer on what the problem is? Is it that he grabs your mouse and uses it without asking? Or that he reviews your code as part of his assistance?
– Chan-Ho Suh
Feb 23 '16 at 21:53










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
7
down vote



accepted










Implement a Concurrent Versioning System:



Does your company use a CVS system like Subversion, TFS, or Git? My co-workers and I commit our code often (usually several times a day, as we complete project tasks).



Formalize Code Review Processes:



We routine check each others code in the Code Vault to ensure it's readable and maintainable, since any one of us could be called to repair issues during the product lifecycle.



We also use tools within our environment to explicitly send code to one-another for private feedback and code reviews.



I love it when my co-workers all are familiar with a project. It's frustrating as you move on to the next project to have to jump back and fix something because you're the only guy who knows how to fix it (and it's irresponsible to do that to your employer).



Protect Your Employer's Investment:



I'd encourage you to help your company move towards more formal code management.



Although I agree his behavior is bit overbearing, rude, and a personal invasion, You don't own your source code created while at work, your company does.



Who knows, you may get some great visibility in your company for encouraging them to go down the path to development excellence.



And the obligatory office friendship:



I would encourage you to speak with him, and tell him that his behavior is invasive. I'd hope he'd understand, and start using the Vault to protect the corporate assets.






share|improve this answer




















  • Very nice answer.
    – Chimera
    Feb 24 '16 at 1:49

















up vote
4
down vote













If he wants to check version control and see your code for himself, that's fine. However, coming over to your desk and invading your personal space by grabbing your mouse is completely unacceptable.



I have a couple of suggestions for you which may work:



Locking Your Workstation



The absolutely simplest way to deal with this behavior is to lock your workstations before you turn around to speak to him (WinKey + L).



This sends a pretty clear message that he interrupted you, and that what you're doing is private. The reason I mention this as being the simplest way of dealing with him is because it sends this message without your having to say anything at all.



Bring Up A Different Window



Another thing you could do is open a different window and cover the programming IDE up before turning around to speak to him. For example, as he walks up to chat open up a fresh copy of Chrome and full screen it.



The problem here is that he may still try to grab your mouse and look at your work, so you're not really preventing his behavior, just giving him a subtle hint.



Speak to Him



At the end of the day this person may not get it unless you throw it out there:




Excuse me, I was doing something before you walked up. It makes me feel very uncomfortable for other people to use my mouse, and to poke around my workstation.




At that point you can't be any more clear. If he tries to justify his behavior simply hold your ground:




I understand what you want to accomplish, but if you'd like to see the code maybe we should set up a review session, or you can look at it after I submit it to version control.




Set boundaries!






share|improve this answer




















  • It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
    – Nolo Problemo
    Feb 23 '16 at 23:17

















up vote
0
down vote













I'd just keep my hand on my mouse, and if that didn't work I'd just tell him/her to stop with varying degrees of politeness depending on my relationship with them.



But if someone is continually annoying me, I just tell them that, they usually get the picture although they might cross me off their Christmas card list.






share|improve this answer



























    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes








    up vote
    7
    down vote



    accepted










    Implement a Concurrent Versioning System:



    Does your company use a CVS system like Subversion, TFS, or Git? My co-workers and I commit our code often (usually several times a day, as we complete project tasks).



    Formalize Code Review Processes:



    We routine check each others code in the Code Vault to ensure it's readable and maintainable, since any one of us could be called to repair issues during the product lifecycle.



    We also use tools within our environment to explicitly send code to one-another for private feedback and code reviews.



    I love it when my co-workers all are familiar with a project. It's frustrating as you move on to the next project to have to jump back and fix something because you're the only guy who knows how to fix it (and it's irresponsible to do that to your employer).



    Protect Your Employer's Investment:



    I'd encourage you to help your company move towards more formal code management.



    Although I agree his behavior is bit overbearing, rude, and a personal invasion, You don't own your source code created while at work, your company does.



    Who knows, you may get some great visibility in your company for encouraging them to go down the path to development excellence.



    And the obligatory office friendship:



    I would encourage you to speak with him, and tell him that his behavior is invasive. I'd hope he'd understand, and start using the Vault to protect the corporate assets.






    share|improve this answer




















    • Very nice answer.
      – Chimera
      Feb 24 '16 at 1:49














    up vote
    7
    down vote



    accepted










    Implement a Concurrent Versioning System:



    Does your company use a CVS system like Subversion, TFS, or Git? My co-workers and I commit our code often (usually several times a day, as we complete project tasks).



    Formalize Code Review Processes:



    We routine check each others code in the Code Vault to ensure it's readable and maintainable, since any one of us could be called to repair issues during the product lifecycle.



    We also use tools within our environment to explicitly send code to one-another for private feedback and code reviews.



    I love it when my co-workers all are familiar with a project. It's frustrating as you move on to the next project to have to jump back and fix something because you're the only guy who knows how to fix it (and it's irresponsible to do that to your employer).



    Protect Your Employer's Investment:



    I'd encourage you to help your company move towards more formal code management.



    Although I agree his behavior is bit overbearing, rude, and a personal invasion, You don't own your source code created while at work, your company does.



    Who knows, you may get some great visibility in your company for encouraging them to go down the path to development excellence.



    And the obligatory office friendship:



    I would encourage you to speak with him, and tell him that his behavior is invasive. I'd hope he'd understand, and start using the Vault to protect the corporate assets.






    share|improve this answer




















    • Very nice answer.
      – Chimera
      Feb 24 '16 at 1:49












    up vote
    7
    down vote



    accepted







    up vote
    7
    down vote



    accepted






    Implement a Concurrent Versioning System:



    Does your company use a CVS system like Subversion, TFS, or Git? My co-workers and I commit our code often (usually several times a day, as we complete project tasks).



    Formalize Code Review Processes:



    We routine check each others code in the Code Vault to ensure it's readable and maintainable, since any one of us could be called to repair issues during the product lifecycle.



    We also use tools within our environment to explicitly send code to one-another for private feedback and code reviews.



    I love it when my co-workers all are familiar with a project. It's frustrating as you move on to the next project to have to jump back and fix something because you're the only guy who knows how to fix it (and it's irresponsible to do that to your employer).



    Protect Your Employer's Investment:



    I'd encourage you to help your company move towards more formal code management.



    Although I agree his behavior is bit overbearing, rude, and a personal invasion, You don't own your source code created while at work, your company does.



    Who knows, you may get some great visibility in your company for encouraging them to go down the path to development excellence.



    And the obligatory office friendship:



    I would encourage you to speak with him, and tell him that his behavior is invasive. I'd hope he'd understand, and start using the Vault to protect the corporate assets.






    share|improve this answer












    Implement a Concurrent Versioning System:



    Does your company use a CVS system like Subversion, TFS, or Git? My co-workers and I commit our code often (usually several times a day, as we complete project tasks).



    Formalize Code Review Processes:



    We routine check each others code in the Code Vault to ensure it's readable and maintainable, since any one of us could be called to repair issues during the product lifecycle.



    We also use tools within our environment to explicitly send code to one-another for private feedback and code reviews.



    I love it when my co-workers all are familiar with a project. It's frustrating as you move on to the next project to have to jump back and fix something because you're the only guy who knows how to fix it (and it's irresponsible to do that to your employer).



    Protect Your Employer's Investment:



    I'd encourage you to help your company move towards more formal code management.



    Although I agree his behavior is bit overbearing, rude, and a personal invasion, You don't own your source code created while at work, your company does.



    Who knows, you may get some great visibility in your company for encouraging them to go down the path to development excellence.



    And the obligatory office friendship:



    I would encourage you to speak with him, and tell him that his behavior is invasive. I'd hope he'd understand, and start using the Vault to protect the corporate assets.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Feb 24 '16 at 0:20









    Baronz

    458513




    458513











    • Very nice answer.
      – Chimera
      Feb 24 '16 at 1:49
















    • Very nice answer.
      – Chimera
      Feb 24 '16 at 1:49















    Very nice answer.
    – Chimera
    Feb 24 '16 at 1:49




    Very nice answer.
    – Chimera
    Feb 24 '16 at 1:49












    up vote
    4
    down vote













    If he wants to check version control and see your code for himself, that's fine. However, coming over to your desk and invading your personal space by grabbing your mouse is completely unacceptable.



    I have a couple of suggestions for you which may work:



    Locking Your Workstation



    The absolutely simplest way to deal with this behavior is to lock your workstations before you turn around to speak to him (WinKey + L).



    This sends a pretty clear message that he interrupted you, and that what you're doing is private. The reason I mention this as being the simplest way of dealing with him is because it sends this message without your having to say anything at all.



    Bring Up A Different Window



    Another thing you could do is open a different window and cover the programming IDE up before turning around to speak to him. For example, as he walks up to chat open up a fresh copy of Chrome and full screen it.



    The problem here is that he may still try to grab your mouse and look at your work, so you're not really preventing his behavior, just giving him a subtle hint.



    Speak to Him



    At the end of the day this person may not get it unless you throw it out there:




    Excuse me, I was doing something before you walked up. It makes me feel very uncomfortable for other people to use my mouse, and to poke around my workstation.




    At that point you can't be any more clear. If he tries to justify his behavior simply hold your ground:




    I understand what you want to accomplish, but if you'd like to see the code maybe we should set up a review session, or you can look at it after I submit it to version control.




    Set boundaries!






    share|improve this answer




















    • It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
      – Nolo Problemo
      Feb 23 '16 at 23:17














    up vote
    4
    down vote













    If he wants to check version control and see your code for himself, that's fine. However, coming over to your desk and invading your personal space by grabbing your mouse is completely unacceptable.



    I have a couple of suggestions for you which may work:



    Locking Your Workstation



    The absolutely simplest way to deal with this behavior is to lock your workstations before you turn around to speak to him (WinKey + L).



    This sends a pretty clear message that he interrupted you, and that what you're doing is private. The reason I mention this as being the simplest way of dealing with him is because it sends this message without your having to say anything at all.



    Bring Up A Different Window



    Another thing you could do is open a different window and cover the programming IDE up before turning around to speak to him. For example, as he walks up to chat open up a fresh copy of Chrome and full screen it.



    The problem here is that he may still try to grab your mouse and look at your work, so you're not really preventing his behavior, just giving him a subtle hint.



    Speak to Him



    At the end of the day this person may not get it unless you throw it out there:




    Excuse me, I was doing something before you walked up. It makes me feel very uncomfortable for other people to use my mouse, and to poke around my workstation.




    At that point you can't be any more clear. If he tries to justify his behavior simply hold your ground:




    I understand what you want to accomplish, but if you'd like to see the code maybe we should set up a review session, or you can look at it after I submit it to version control.




    Set boundaries!






    share|improve this answer




















    • It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
      – Nolo Problemo
      Feb 23 '16 at 23:17












    up vote
    4
    down vote










    up vote
    4
    down vote









    If he wants to check version control and see your code for himself, that's fine. However, coming over to your desk and invading your personal space by grabbing your mouse is completely unacceptable.



    I have a couple of suggestions for you which may work:



    Locking Your Workstation



    The absolutely simplest way to deal with this behavior is to lock your workstations before you turn around to speak to him (WinKey + L).



    This sends a pretty clear message that he interrupted you, and that what you're doing is private. The reason I mention this as being the simplest way of dealing with him is because it sends this message without your having to say anything at all.



    Bring Up A Different Window



    Another thing you could do is open a different window and cover the programming IDE up before turning around to speak to him. For example, as he walks up to chat open up a fresh copy of Chrome and full screen it.



    The problem here is that he may still try to grab your mouse and look at your work, so you're not really preventing his behavior, just giving him a subtle hint.



    Speak to Him



    At the end of the day this person may not get it unless you throw it out there:




    Excuse me, I was doing something before you walked up. It makes me feel very uncomfortable for other people to use my mouse, and to poke around my workstation.




    At that point you can't be any more clear. If he tries to justify his behavior simply hold your ground:




    I understand what you want to accomplish, but if you'd like to see the code maybe we should set up a review session, or you can look at it after I submit it to version control.




    Set boundaries!






    share|improve this answer












    If he wants to check version control and see your code for himself, that's fine. However, coming over to your desk and invading your personal space by grabbing your mouse is completely unacceptable.



    I have a couple of suggestions for you which may work:



    Locking Your Workstation



    The absolutely simplest way to deal with this behavior is to lock your workstations before you turn around to speak to him (WinKey + L).



    This sends a pretty clear message that he interrupted you, and that what you're doing is private. The reason I mention this as being the simplest way of dealing with him is because it sends this message without your having to say anything at all.



    Bring Up A Different Window



    Another thing you could do is open a different window and cover the programming IDE up before turning around to speak to him. For example, as he walks up to chat open up a fresh copy of Chrome and full screen it.



    The problem here is that he may still try to grab your mouse and look at your work, so you're not really preventing his behavior, just giving him a subtle hint.



    Speak to Him



    At the end of the day this person may not get it unless you throw it out there:




    Excuse me, I was doing something before you walked up. It makes me feel very uncomfortable for other people to use my mouse, and to poke around my workstation.




    At that point you can't be any more clear. If he tries to justify his behavior simply hold your ground:




    I understand what you want to accomplish, but if you'd like to see the code maybe we should set up a review session, or you can look at it after I submit it to version control.




    Set boundaries!







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Feb 23 '16 at 22:22









    AndreiROM

    44.1k21101173




    44.1k21101173











    • It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
      – Nolo Problemo
      Feb 23 '16 at 23:17
















    • It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
      – Nolo Problemo
      Feb 23 '16 at 23:17















    It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
    – Nolo Problemo
    Feb 23 '16 at 23:17




    It's all about personal space. In a modern office, us cube-dwellers have little enough of that.
    – Nolo Problemo
    Feb 23 '16 at 23:17










    up vote
    0
    down vote













    I'd just keep my hand on my mouse, and if that didn't work I'd just tell him/her to stop with varying degrees of politeness depending on my relationship with them.



    But if someone is continually annoying me, I just tell them that, they usually get the picture although they might cross me off their Christmas card list.






    share|improve this answer
























      up vote
      0
      down vote













      I'd just keep my hand on my mouse, and if that didn't work I'd just tell him/her to stop with varying degrees of politeness depending on my relationship with them.



      But if someone is continually annoying me, I just tell them that, they usually get the picture although they might cross me off their Christmas card list.






      share|improve this answer






















        up vote
        0
        down vote










        up vote
        0
        down vote









        I'd just keep my hand on my mouse, and if that didn't work I'd just tell him/her to stop with varying degrees of politeness depending on my relationship with them.



        But if someone is continually annoying me, I just tell them that, they usually get the picture although they might cross me off their Christmas card list.






        share|improve this answer












        I'd just keep my hand on my mouse, and if that didn't work I'd just tell him/her to stop with varying degrees of politeness depending on my relationship with them.



        But if someone is continually annoying me, I just tell them that, they usually get the picture although they might cross me off their Christmas card list.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Feb 24 '16 at 3:56









        Kilisi

        94.6k50216376




        94.6k50216376












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