This woman at work is driving me nuts

[homesick_american 1]

This woman at work is back from 6 months maternity leave, and she is already driving me insane.

In a nutshell, she won't shut up. She NEVER shuts up. She talks all day long. ALL. DAY. LONG. However, if by some chance she's actually doing some work (rare) and someone else is having a conversation that doesn't involve her, she tells them to 'keep it down' because she's 'trying to work.'

I feel like I can't turn around and tell her to shut up, because she's a right cow who happens to be best friends with the boss. The thing is...I don't know how much of this I can take. SHE NEVER SHUTS UP. We're not allowed to wear headphones, so that's out as a way to block out the sound of her monumentally annoying voice.

[Dan J 277]

Gees LOL. She's not busy enough at work then

[Dawny&Tommy 0]

Hmm, if she never shuts up, and never gets any work done....you don't happen to work for CSC do you? If so, tell her to stfu and get some NOA2's done!

Dawn.

[homesick_american 1]

If that's not bad enough we have a bunch of managerettes (lady managers) who use the four empty workstations on the next row over as their little temporary office-away-from-office a couple of days a week and they're even LOUDER! One of them has this monotone voice and spends all day on the phone and her voice has the same resonant frequency as my monitor so she makes it vibrate as she talks. The other one is heavily pregnant and just waddles around letting people stroke her belly all day, and she has a VERY loud voice. I really wish people would just STFU and GET SOME WORK DONE!

I'm just having one of those days where I'm annoyed by everybody/everything. I hate those days. They're so...ANNOYING!

[Dan J 277]

I have this one nosy neighbor lady who always gets into someone's else business and talking about it in loud noise. She always annoys me.I can imagine you suffer more than me. You have more than one of that kind of lady. I hope you could hang in there. Adjusting yourself to them might take a long annoying process in the way.

[homesick_american 1]

They've quieted down a bit, but whenever someone came in to start the day, the annoying woman would start twittering all over again. Oh, how NICE it was when she was on maternity leave...why couldn't she have taken a whole year off? She's back on full-time hours too, which is unusual around here; usually women with young babies at this company go part-time. (Then they get made redundant. Hahahaha!)

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

My PA does. not. shut. up. Not only does her mouth run a mile minute, she is a world class whinger. We keep her around because she is a great organiser and secretary, but she nearly got the push 3 years ago because of the non-stop whinging.

Oh, and she's been known to go off on massive anti-American diatribes right in front of me and then either 1) ask me why Americans do whatever it is that is annoying her or 2) say I don't count as an American because I've "gone native".

Oh, I cannot WAIT until I don't have to hear about her mother's incontinence, the inability of Greenwich council to pick up her bins or all about her booze cruises ever again!

Edited April 19, 2007 by elmcitymaven

[homesick_american 1]

My PA does. not. shut. up. Not only does her mouth run a mile minute, she is a world class whinger. We keep her around because she is a great organiser and secretary, but she nearly got the push 3 years ago because of the non-stop whinging.

Oh, and she's been known to go off on massive anti-American diatribes right in front of me and then either 1) ask me why Americans do whatever it is that is annoying her or 2) say I don't count as an American because I've "gone native".

Oh, I cannot WAIT until I don't have to hear about her mother's incontinence, the inability of Greenwich council to pick up her bins or all about her booze cruises ever again!

We used to have a secretary like that but she got made redundant, LOL!

I get the whole 'why do Americans do xyz' thing too; my usual response is a bored shrug or if I'm feeling cheeky, I say "First, why don't you tell me why British people drink so much?" That usually shuts them up.

[Mags 112]

Well, there is nothing you can do about her chattering or noise...so the next plan would be playing little tricks on her. Set her chair too low when she goes to the loo, move her coffee mug around, switch off things, un-plug her phone, generally make her question her sanity...

It'll improve your work day no end...

[homesick_american 1]

Well, there is nothing you can do about her chattering or noise...so the next plan would be playing little tricks on her. Set her chair too low when she goes to the loo, move her coffee mug around, switch off things, un-plug her phone, generally make her question her sanity...

It'll improve your work day no end...

Can't...it's an open plan office and I'm never alone. My leaving date is 18 May...just have to hang on until then!

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

We used to have a secretary like that but she got made redundant, LOL!

I get the whole 'why do Americans do xyz' thing too; my usual response is a bored shrug or if I'm feeling cheeky, I say "First, why don't you tell me why British people drink so much?" That usually shuts them up.

Usually when she asks me why Americans are so pushy/loud/wrongheaded/etcetcetc, I just give her a very blank stare and go back to work. I daren't ask why the British drink so much because I picked up the bad habit myself, so those who are in glass houses...

[Fandango 1,440]

I'd say summat. Now there's a shocker, but at the end of the day, you're leaving in a month's time...what are they going to do? fire you for telling her to stfu?

[homesick_american 1]

Usually when she asks me why Americans are so pushy/loud/wrongheaded/etcetcetc, I just give her a very blank stare and go back to work. I daren't ask why the British drink so much because I picked up the bad habit myself, so those who are in glass houses...

Hehehe...I've managed to remain the teetotaler that I always was.

The first time I went out to lunch with someone from work (this was waaaaaaay back in 2001), I was shocked when he ordered a beer with his lunch. I asked him if he was going to get in trouble for that when he got back to the office and he just stared at me like I was an idiot. Then when we got back to the office everyone had a good laugh at what I'd said. It was embarrassing. Every time I went out for lunch after that, people were like "Oooh, best not order a pint, might get in trouble!"

[Mags 112]

Well, there is nothing you can do about her chattering or noise...so the next plan would be playing little tricks on her. Set her chair too low when she goes to the loo, move her coffee mug around, switch off things, un-plug her phone, generally make her question her sanity...

It'll improve your work day no end...

Can't...it's an open plan office and I'm never alone. My leaving date is 18 May...just have to hang on until then!

Well, dayum!

A friend of mine started doing that to the bloke who she shared an office with. When he sat on his chair and it went "zzoom!" and the height went down she almost choked on her cup of tea.

[homesick_american 1]

I'd say summat. Now there's a shocker, but at the end of the day, you're leaving in a month's time...what are they going to do? fire you for telling her to stfu?

I'm on contract so they can fire me for pretty much anything; I'm not a permanent employee. Plus, I want a good reference. I wish I could tell her to stfu, just to see the look on her face. If I won the lottery I'd definitely do it because I wouldn't need to find another job.