Just a rant. Our office is a hodgepodge of workers from different groups of the company I work for. We have one lead programer on the floor who started about 9 months ago. When she first started she would be on conference calls everyday. Problem is she has an extremely loud voice, just strong pipes. She can't help it. It bothers a lot of people, and she isn't stupid, she knows she has a loud voice and has joked about it. Anyway, another guy left, an IT guy programmer from her group and she took his desk because it was near a window. prime real estate. it was good for everyone else because it was in bit of a corner, but she could still be heard, forgot to mention that she would discuss personell issues on some of these calls. I think she finally got a grip on that and will make those calls in an office. Anyway, we have open cubes no walls, and interesting concept but it leads to more communication I think. her cube is in a section where she's in a corner, with three Chinese workers around her. Now these Chinese workers always have conversation at lunch time. So one day, one of them gets a complaint from the loud IT lady that they are too loud sometimes. The lady who got the complaint told the rest of us. We couldn't believe, the complainer is one of the loudest co worker evah. That was about three weeks ago. Well I've recently come to find out that another complaint has surfaced. This time the truth has come out, she was more bothered with them speaking in their native tongue. Now to be fair to the complainer, when ever these chinese co workers get together, they tend to be loud. but that is a rare occassion, on a day to day basis. And I also admit, I don't like people talking loudly in a language that I don't understand. Nothing cultural or anything, it just sounds like noise. howver given that this woman is really know as the loudest person in the office, everyone couldn't believe this. Do you guys think it is reasonble.
I think this might be reasonable for your situation. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWkDQ3pgfXE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NWkDQ3pgfXE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
There's only one solution to this. Office trebuchet: http://lifehacker.com/5319107/build-an-altoids-trebuchet-to-rule-the-cubicle-farm
You're quite a sensitive drama queen PGabriel. It's time to man up and worry about work rather than the politics. Good luck.
If one of my co-workers finds it necessary to become overly loud with one of our clients I close my large oak office door.
Can't expect people not to have a good time at lunch time. She's afraid they're talking **** about that loud b**** they sit with. And she's right.
it's ok to be loud in the right place. hey, if you go to other country and you heard somebody talking loud? that's an american.
go to work to make money, not friends. this is the way i think, but it sucks sometimes cause you do spend a lot, i mean a lot of time with the co-workers.
I always find the office complaints odd because I never have these kinds of problems. I remember we had a group in an overcrowded room and they needed HR to intervene at one point because one woman would use scented lotion for her eczema and another woman was nauseated by the smell, but couldn't talk directly to the offending party. Another coworker was complaining to me about how some guy needs to clip his nose hairs and was wondering if maybe she could complain to his boss or HR (but I talked her out of it). In fact, it seems that all office drama is the result of people being too afraid to talk maturely to someone about behavior they find offensive.
The Chinese workers are probably talking about what to name their thread in the GARM. They should be left alone and allowed to worship Yao. Seriously man, there is one at every place that Ive worked. I would just ignore them. I like seeing all of the Indian folks, Asian folks, Spanish folks talking amongst each other. Nothing is wrong with this. My opinion.
Thank you for this video. Both guys msut have been tossed. As for the issue, I think you just have to bite the bullet. We never get along with all of our co-workers. Ever. But I understand your situation.
That's very mild. Very very mild. I have heard of much more serious political issues that can cost a company millions because of the inane issues coworkers, in particular management, can have with each other. Just put on some headphones and stay focused on work. If they need you, they can walk up to you.
I prefer for people, such as India contractors (in abundance around my workplace), who work in an American office place to speak English when they are working for the most part (and, from what I've experienced, they do). The fact is if they couldn't speak English...they wouldn't be working there. I work with a few of them and they will never resort to native tongue when others are involved in the conversation...as I would expect. There are exceptions...like if they are having phone conversations with their counterparts back in India. They do tend to eat lunch together and talk in their native tongue...which I have no problem with. It's never really been much of a problem for me personally but I could see it being a problem...especially if you are trying to work and constant conversations in their native tongue are taking place in cubicles around you. To be honest, I would probably just resort to listening to tunes off my iPhone in that situation...to avoid having to listen to it. I feel it is best for them to try to keep their conversations in English while they are working...unless it is absolutely necessary for them to resort to their native tongue...because, quite frankly, they could be talking about anything for all I know. It's almost like an episode from "Seinfeld" or something...when Elaine is getting her nails done in a salon and Koreans are ripping her in their native tongue. lol It does sound kind of two-sided for a person who is notorious for being the company loud talker in a cubicle setting to complain about others talking loudly...regardless of what language they are speaking. That is probably not somebody I would enjoy working with. There is something to be said about pumping white noise into the work place and keeping the fan blowers (i.e. a/c) on constantly. It does help because if it were so quiet you could hear a pin drop...then it could quickly become a nightmare. We have those moments in the summer when the A/C doesn't kick on and that is when it is like...this sucks because you can hear something from several cubicle rows down that would normally be drowned out (even someone's stomach growling).
Sounds to me like Pgabs has issues with women in the workplace in a "power" position. Remember. He said she's a "lead" programmer and now he has an issue with how lound her voice is. Women in power don't sit well with pgabs.
He may just have a problem with people that are overly loud in an effort to appear more important than what they are.
This is the first time ever hearing of a black woman lead programmer. Jest is a very useful communication tool. For politically correct people out there, yes I said it. And yes I know pgab is black.
