NOISY co-worker! Help! | ADHD Information

The best rule always in coworkers is "the shortest route between two points is a straight line" - i.e. go to the source first and at least try to make a change.

Most people are honestly oblivious to the fact that they upset someone else.  People generally don't want to make problems for others and if the approach is sincere and non-threatening they take it better than we think they will.  Many times we would be offended and we impose our feelings on someone else.  Face it we are more sensitive than others many times!

Just go over when she's actually singing and ask to privately talk.  Even take her into a private room if there's one and there's time.  Sit and be frank but try not to show anger even if it's there.  Just say "look - I don't know if you realize but sometimes you get carried away and get a little loud.  I understand that you are happy and just enjoying yourself but it's hard for me to concentrate if it's like that.  Could you try to keep it down? "  Really - honesty IS the best policy! No lie!

If this doesn't work because she says you are wrong or that she doesn't want to change - then escalate.  A workplace needs to be functional and non-threatening and bosses understand that.  They will probably ask you to take care of it yourself so if you have tried already that shows initiative and yet one more feather in your cap!

Good luck.  I think everyone's met a noisy neighbor and it never is nice!

My husband has the same problem with a chatty cathy in his office.  He was almost crying of frustration last week over this gal.  He has earphones too, and they really help, so I was going to suggest that, but it seems as though you've tried that. 
I tend to avoid confrontation, so I would have my boss make a point of telling the group of people about office noise at the next meeting.  When the boss talks about it, it's real, and then one person is not singled out as the culprit.  This can be a firm reminder that noise should be kept to a minimum, and that colleagues should respect one another blah, blah, blah.  i.e. "It has come to my attention that there has been a lot of noise around the office lately.  Let's all make an effort to be a bit quieter and more respectful of others as this is a workplace..."
You deserve a productive work environment!The coworker who sits on the other side of my cubicle wall is driving me almost literally to tears.  Today I honestly felt like crying because I have a highly detailed oriented job...that I excel at...but this woman NEVER SHUTS HER PIE HOLE!

She sings, and EVERY internal thought she has she verbalizes.  She stomps her feet...she laughs.  I put on headphones...I can hear her over the headphones.

I am ready to complain to my boss...but what else can I do?  Besides grabbing her over the cubicle wall and duct taping that non stop noise making mouth of hers?

Sorry..I am venting a little.  But enough is enough.  Stomping your feet, laughing, singing, talking constantly is NOT professional behavior!

Teil.lover, I was thinking the same thing about the white noise headphones. 

You might also sokingly, umm, Jokenly say to her, ''I can Hear YOU !''  >

Barb had a good Idea also.  

  PS.     Hi   BARB !

She does not seem mature enough to handle it if I nicely approached her. 

I am going to look into some noise reduction headphones.

Its time you told her that she is disturbing you big time and asked her to be a bit respectful.

Have you considered the possibility that she is also ADHD and thats the way she keeps her sanity in a cubicle all day? It doesn't make it right but it might help if you think of her behavior in those terms.

Possibly you can think of some suggestions (No! Not that! ) which might help her to be a little more quiet and at least let you be able to work with head phones on.

Sorry, I assumed the headphones you mentioned trying were noise reduction. I hope the ones you get work this time.  Someone like that next to me would drive me nuts!

Hi John!

Hi,

I worked in a large HighTech company, a world leader, and we had an open plan office layout.

Many people had the headset type industrial ear protectors.
These were supplied by the company. We also had the yellow foam ear-plugs. Using both of there allowed you to completely block out the sounds of conversation around you. (You could use ear-bud loudspeakers instead of the foam if you wanted to listen to music.)
It was a very productive environment. It probably looked
odd to visitors but it allowed one to concentrate on 'thinking work'. It also told others that you were 'deep in thought' and not to be disturbed. At the same time the group had a lot of interaction since people were experts one area, but the product depended on all the different parts working properly together.

When you didn't have the ear protectors on you could hear the
converations of people around you. This too was an advantage as you learned how other parts of the project worked. It also meant that when people proposed a new idea that would effect some other part of the design, somebody could immediately point out the problems, and prevent someone working on a solution that would not fit. This meant this environment had the best of all worlds: teams worked together so that little time was wasted on solutions had negatively effected other parts; and there was also a way of doing detailed 'high concentration detailed work'.

While it may have looked like an odd arrangement, the group was brilliant and this apprroach was very successful.

Hope this helps.you could tryt talking to her and explaining to her that you have a very
detailed job and it is difficut to be productive with lots of noise or ask your
boss to change your lunch hour so that you can work when she is out to
lunch in =queit and you can work during your lunch.