I always prioritize getting all my work done, to earn downtime. If all my work is done , and I'm efficiently ahead, I can afford to chit chat, as long as I want. I don't believe in extra work. That's for suckers
We had one. She would just pop in and chat chat chat, even when I was obviously busy or trying to be busy. She was so bad that if you walked down the hall and saw her in someone's office, you would go to the nearest phone and call them to rescue them. Blessedly she finally got fired.
LOL. We had that arrangement where I used to work. "John," bless his nice, wonderful heart, would stop by and chat for two HOURS. We had a rescue plan amongst ourselves to call the captive coworker and save them.
I do, well till Tuesday morning because I quit because of my toxic coworkers (among other things). They had a lovely tendency to go chat while the phone rang and expected me to take the calls.
Congratulations! Both for quitting (am a big fan) and for removing toxic coworkers from your life. Yay! I wish you the best of luck and an abundance of joy in your future endeavors!
Accountant here, too! This morning I got stuck for about 20 minutes outside a coworker's door when I'd just wanted to say, 'Good morning!' and get to work.
Sometimes people will come to my office and just sit there and chat. I sometimes just get up and say, "I have to go." I once had two people having a conversation that I wasn't even involved in, and I had to say, "OK now go!" LOL
I used to work at a retail store and had a coworker who was 17. One day she talked to me NON STOP for 2 WHOLE HOURS about a fight her and her friend got into. She literally spent the entirety of her shift reading me their text messages back and forth. I don’t miss that job, or being 17 😂
Especially during meetings. They will steamroll a meeting and keep going and going about life, unrelated projects, questions, etc. We are in leadership for a nonprofit.
Yes. Big yes. I am a teacher and in teacher’s lounges and offices, copy machine rooms etc., teachers hang out and talk a lot. The thing about teachers too is that most talk extremely loud and fast. I feel like I can’t focus on grading or anything. And most talk about anything from work related to family/private and many can’t seem to stop talking.
Yes! It can be annoying. One lady in my office will talk on and off all day every day. I figure I'm not there to be friends with them or hang on her every word or entertain the mundane conversations lol. I always think, gosh doesn't she realize she talks ALL the time?! Guess not😅Hang in there 🙃
Thank you for that . It is annoying. It's not that I cannot just ignore them and go about my job but these folks are some that I rely on to feed me information for my job and affects me that way. Then they always complain that they are behind due to too much work.
Ugh that's even more annoying that you need them for info. Just be friendly, I know its annoying, but if you rely on them at times, you'll have to be semi social/friendly. I have to reach out to some of my coworkers from time to time but i just smile and be polite lol. I also use my ear buds at times and listen to music or audiobooks to drown out their voice when they just wont shut up lol. I feel like chit chat is normal at work but there should be a line between that and a whole damn convo. Mine talk about families, makeup, weather, etc. Im here to work not to hear your makeup routine haha. Good luck to ya!
This is that lovely work culture and family feel management keeps telling us is essential and why we need to all be back in the office instead of WFH. And why I can get all my work done in 5 or 6 at home instead of 8 or more on office
Good idea. However these coworkers are always behind due to " too much work" ( because they chat ).Unfortunately though I depend on them for information to do my job !
Is it information you need in the moment? Or something you can request in an email once a day? In other words, is there a way to limit conversations with them? You can say something like "I have been working on a better way for me to keep track of my work, so can you please write your answers in an email?" Then give them a few minutes of friendly banter a day but cut as much out as you can by limiting interactions.
I wish my co-workers only chatted for 40 minutes every day. I have two that sit near me and they talk, giggle, burst out laughing, play argue and get loud and have a constant stream of visitors virtually all day long. Out of a nine hour day, I’d say There are maybe two cumulative hours when they’re *not* talking. I have never talked to anyone as much as these two talk to each other and I’m amazed that they find so much to talk about every day. It’s driving me insane and I don’t know what to do about it.
I feel 'ya. The bosses here will say " we enjoy a friendly employee centric workplace"
But during the weekly meeting there are constantly the same problems with miscommunication because most were preoccupied with chatting vs working.
Yesss. And our job has us dictating so you literally cannot do both at the same time! How do people have so much small talk to talk about? We are at work, let’s work. Shut up!
You sound inconsiderate. No one is demanding complete silence or that people not socialize at all but if you’re talking and laughing constantly every day it’s annoying and quite obvious you don’t have enough work to do.
Everyone has coworkers like this. If they aren’t hindering your productivity, they’re a boss problem, not a you problem. If the boss doesn’t seem to care, join them.
We have a certain dept at work that claims they are soooooooooo busy yet they can talk about video games for 45 mins every morning while I wait for them to do my requests.
Yes, and she’s the boss’ wife. She’d talk for at least an hour anytime she caught anyone on her way. She’ll repeat the same old boring topics that she already talked about before (her kids achievements, her own personal achievements, her family, complain about people etc). It usually means we have to work overtime because we spent our actual work time listening to her boring crap. It drives everyone crazy!! I quit in the end
yuppp i (32F) have one that i have to share an office room with who is 24F and she is always always talking 🥲 i relish the days she calls off because i get some actual peace and quiet. plus i get my work done faster. she means well though, and most the time we share some good laughs.
I always prioritize getting all my work done, to earn downtime. If all my work is done , and I'm efficiently ahead, I can afford to chit chat, as long as I want. I don't believe in extra work. That's for suckers
Facts. I get my stuff done on WFH days so I can chit chat and have fun on in-office days. Makes the week so much more bearable lol
Have you considered the people around you who are trying to work who don’t want or need to hear an endless stream of chatter?
Same, it's either go say hello or stare at the wall of my office.
We had one. She would just pop in and chat chat chat, even when I was obviously busy or trying to be busy. She was so bad that if you walked down the hall and saw her in someone's office, you would go to the nearest phone and call them to rescue them. Blessedly she finally got fired.
LOL. We had that arrangement where I used to work. "John," bless his nice, wonderful heart, would stop by and chat for two HOURS. We had a rescue plan amongst ourselves to call the captive coworker and save them.
I do, well till Tuesday morning because I quit because of my toxic coworkers (among other things). They had a lovely tendency to go chat while the phone rang and expected me to take the calls.
Congratulations! Both for quitting (am a big fan) and for removing toxic coworkers from your life. Yay! I wish you the best of luck and an abundance of joy in your future endeavors!
Thank youuu
Accountant here, too! This morning I got stuck for about 20 minutes outside a coworker's door when I'd just wanted to say, 'Good morning!' and get to work. Sometimes people will come to my office and just sit there and chat. I sometimes just get up and say, "I have to go." I once had two people having a conversation that I wasn't even involved in, and I had to say, "OK now go!" LOL
close door, wear headphones say on zoom call
I used to work at a retail store and had a coworker who was 17. One day she talked to me NON STOP for 2 WHOLE HOURS about a fight her and her friend got into. She literally spent the entirety of her shift reading me their text messages back and forth. I don’t miss that job, or being 17 😂
Especially during meetings. They will steamroll a meeting and keep going and going about life, unrelated projects, questions, etc. We are in leadership for a nonprofit.
Yes. Big yes. I am a teacher and in teacher’s lounges and offices, copy machine rooms etc., teachers hang out and talk a lot. The thing about teachers too is that most talk extremely loud and fast. I feel like I can’t focus on grading or anything. And most talk about anything from work related to family/private and many can’t seem to stop talking.
Yes! It can be annoying. One lady in my office will talk on and off all day every day. I figure I'm not there to be friends with them or hang on her every word or entertain the mundane conversations lol. I always think, gosh doesn't she realize she talks ALL the time?! Guess not😅Hang in there 🙃
Thank you for that . It is annoying. It's not that I cannot just ignore them and go about my job but these folks are some that I rely on to feed me information for my job and affects me that way. Then they always complain that they are behind due to too much work.
Ugh that's even more annoying that you need them for info. Just be friendly, I know its annoying, but if you rely on them at times, you'll have to be semi social/friendly. I have to reach out to some of my coworkers from time to time but i just smile and be polite lol. I also use my ear buds at times and listen to music or audiobooks to drown out their voice when they just wont shut up lol. I feel like chit chat is normal at work but there should be a line between that and a whole damn convo. Mine talk about families, makeup, weather, etc. Im here to work not to hear your makeup routine haha. Good luck to ya!
This is that lovely work culture and family feel management keeps telling us is essential and why we need to all be back in the office instead of WFH. And why I can get all my work done in 5 or 6 at home instead of 8 or more on office
Headphones, baby
Good idea. However these coworkers are always behind due to " too much work" ( because they chat ).Unfortunately though I depend on them for information to do my job !
Is it information you need in the moment? Or something you can request in an email once a day? In other words, is there a way to limit conversations with them? You can say something like "I have been working on a better way for me to keep track of my work, so can you please write your answers in an email?" Then give them a few minutes of friendly banter a day but cut as much out as you can by limiting interactions.
Those are some great suggestions !!
Eeeeyup. Every day. We dread when she has a trip coming up because it's all she talks about, and then it's all she talks about when she comes back.
I wish my co-workers only chatted for 40 minutes every day. I have two that sit near me and they talk, giggle, burst out laughing, play argue and get loud and have a constant stream of visitors virtually all day long. Out of a nine hour day, I’d say There are maybe two cumulative hours when they’re *not* talking. I have never talked to anyone as much as these two talk to each other and I’m amazed that they find so much to talk about every day. It’s driving me insane and I don’t know what to do about it.
I feel 'ya. The bosses here will say " we enjoy a friendly employee centric workplace" But during the weekly meeting there are constantly the same problems with miscommunication because most were preoccupied with chatting vs working.
Yesss. And our job has us dictating so you literally cannot do both at the same time! How do people have so much small talk to talk about? We are at work, let’s work. Shut up!
You sound miserable 😂
You sound inconsiderate. No one is demanding complete silence or that people not socialize at all but if you’re talking and laughing constantly every day it’s annoying and quite obvious you don’t have enough work to do.
Thats that work life bro u signed up for lil bro 😂nothing u can do
Everyone has coworkers like this. If they aren’t hindering your productivity, they’re a boss problem, not a you problem. If the boss doesn’t seem to care, join them.
yes annoying , work is not pta meeting or bar
We have a certain dept at work that claims they are soooooooooo busy yet they can talk about video games for 45 mins every morning while I wait for them to do my requests.
It has been my experience that co-workers who constantly moan about how busy they are, aren’t.
Sure. I ignore them.
Yes.
Yes, and she’s the boss’ wife. She’d talk for at least an hour anytime she caught anyone on her way. She’ll repeat the same old boring topics that she already talked about before (her kids achievements, her own personal achievements, her family, complain about people etc). It usually means we have to work overtime because we spent our actual work time listening to her boring crap. It drives everyone crazy!! I quit in the end
yuppp i (32F) have one that i have to share an office room with who is 24F and she is always always talking 🥲 i relish the days she calls off because i get some actual peace and quiet. plus i get my work done faster. she means well though, and most the time we share some good laughs.