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eating at desk 16

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jerry1423

jerry1423

Mechanical
Aug 19, 2005
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I work near a person who eats at his desk. It really would not bother me if it was quiet foods, but it is always things like chips, carrots, and stuff like that.

Sometimes I wear factory earplugs so that I can concentrate on my work better.

Would I be appropriate to approach our manager and ask if this can be stopped, or am I just overly sensitive to those sounds?
 
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I think these are very petty problems. I admit to sometimes wanting to throttle my office mate when he's loudly crunching away, but it only takes a second for me to realize that my reaction is just that, MINE. For some reason I'm not in the best of moods, and he just happens to be an easy target on which to aim my frustrations. Once I realize this, I can tune him out and get back to work.
Now, I once worked second shift and the first shift engineer that I shared a computer with would invariably leave thick, black lumps on the sides of the mouse. I would have to wipe it down with alcohol every afternoon before I could start working. I finally had enough, went to my manager, who issued a memo regarding "office cleanliness". Didn't work, so I was soon assigned to another work station. "Booger Boy" didn't last much longer at that job.
Choose your battles well.

The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. - [small]Hunter S. Thompson[/small]
 
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1. I have a strange aversion to the sound of people chewing. Completely illogical etc. but it bugs the #%^$# out of me. So I kind of get where you are coming from.

2. Overall thought, pretty petty, get over it and don't bring it up with your manager unless you want to get a rep as the whining, moaning....

3. This kind of reminds me of a house mate from uni. There were 4 of us, 3 of us agreed that the 4th person was almost unbearable. It was mostly petty stuff, just so much of it. Could probably be summarized as a lack of social ettiquete (and this was a house of engineers so we didn't have high standards). However, whenever we tried to explain to someone else how annoying he was, they just didnt' get it and even we came to realize how petty it all was when you tried to list it. Still wanted to smack the guy several times a day though.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:
 
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GTstartup - while I probably wouldn't be able to use your terminology to address the procurement guy next to me, I definitely agree with your train of thought. While the field is a vastly different environment than the cube farm, there can be definitely be some perspective learned therein:
i.e., Try working out of your truck for a week with the constant traffic of scrapers, dozers and end-dumps for 10 hours a day 6 days a week; or have a welder (plus generator) and a demo saw constantly running 5 feet from your site-trailer window...
Then go back to your office and the sound crunching corn nuts will be no more than butterflys dancing on feather pillows ~~~~
 
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While it is a certainty I have been out in the sun far too long; I would rather be dodging equipment than be stuck in a "confined space" for the duration.

I admire the heroes of cube Ville. It must require hordes of stamina and fortitude to endure such.

The entertainment value from (most of) this thread has been side-splitting, for me.
 
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[laughtears]
If you don't like the sound of the first one, just go back a page and you get another version automatically.

The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. - [small]Hunter S. Thompson[/small]
 
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I hear 'ya Drumchaser, This thread makes me appreciate having an office, thank you to everyone who has contributed as it made my day (sorry).

Some days I get really annoyed with the paging system but it's usually just when I'm in a bad mood (and at least that has a volume control). As a ex-filed guy, I would be fired and/or arrested if I had to sit beside any of the above-mentioned individuals.
 
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Paging systems!!

We used to have a ("staff location") system with 4 lights and a buzzer in a ceiling-mounted box. Every public place had one visible (and audible). When the buzzer went, all the "important people" would look to the box to see if their combination of lights was active (on/off/flashing). If it was, they would phone the switchboard to get their "important" message. Of course the number of combinations was only 3^4 (minus one - all lights off), so only 80 people were officially designated as "important".

- Steve
 
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Who sold them that then?
Salesman of the year I guess.

Somewhere along the line some one gets the bright idea that a receptionist and a separate telephonist isn't a good idea and the jobs get combined.

The next bright idea is to replace them with Robbie the Robot phone systems so that whether you phone in or visit you end up for a day on the phone listening to dumb messages.

That brings up the most hated phrase of all:
"All our technicians are dealing with clients at the moment and you are number X in the queue. Your call is important to us. Please hold on until someone is available to answer your call." Cue the dreadful music interrupted for a repeat message or an advert.

OK, who is paying for this call? Me? Damn.


JMW
 
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If the call was important to them, would they not have a real person answering the phone? (Did I say that out loud?)

Has anyone ever found coffee stains on there papers or desk, when you aren't a coffee drinker?
I had a boss that did that more than once. At least he could have left his coffee in his office.
 
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I started using noise cancelling headphones to play tunes off a thumb drive (no performance hit). More and more I simply don't play the music and wear the headphones.

It helps with the noise and bored people are less inclined to visit.

I do remember how it was back in the days with squadbay seating, desks and no cube partitions. There was one whistling cigar smoker.

Things have improved.

I wonder if cube partitions built with acoustic damping sheets/fabric would necessarily be cost prohibitive. Even passive noise control of some sort would be better that what’s done now in most places. There’s always 60Hz (or some harmonic) hum of some sort in industrial building office spaces too.
 
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A whistling cigar smoker... hate to sit directly across from him. The only thing that I know of that could make me go postal at work is someone whistling while I'm trying to concentrate on the task at hand. I know... my problem... must calm down...[banghead]

The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. - [small]Hunter S. Thompson[/small]
 
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I used to smoke a pipe, nearly continuously, in a tiny office with wood- paneled walls and carpeting. It still smelled like a humidor for years after smoking was outlawed. Which made it a popular destination for smokers, who would stop by to chat, but mostly to inhale.

Those were the days...



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
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I had a boss who smoked a pipe.
He gave me a lift home one day and if you want to worry, worry about being driven along in heavy traffic at 70mph while someone steers with his knees and occasionaly his elbows so he can get out his tobacco pouch and load and fire up his pipe..... and you know how fussy and ritualistic pipe smoking is, this was a long drawn out operation and my nerves never recovered.


JMW
 
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Cigar smoking is no longer allowed in the office, thank goodness. My complaint would be their breath.

The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. - [small]Hunter S. Thompson[/small]
 
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"Would I be appropriate to approach our manager and ask if this can be stopped, or am I just overly sensitive to those sounds? "

No and yes. Now move on.
 
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kontiki, we have the opposite. Most of our cube panels are decades old sheet metal structures that act like sound boards.

The noise gets unbearable at times.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:
 
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