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[Closed] Open plan offices

 DezB
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[#4220644]

Everyone has them these days... so does anyone's company have some sort of charter of how to behave?
I need something to use in our next team meeting. It's driving me nuts. The one bloke who thinks everyone needs to hear what he is SHOUTING DOWN HIS PHONE while pacing up and down the office. ARRRGH.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:32 pm
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We have dirty look penalties applied to those who transgress.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:32 pm
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Speak to him and ask him not to?

Controversial....


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:34 pm
 DezB
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Ah, now druid, you're making the assumption that this is a normal, reasonable human being...


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:36 pm
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druidh - Member

Speak to him and ask him not to?

i tried this with some of the many 'shouters' in my office.

they tend to look at you blankly, and say something like "...er, o-kay..."

and then carry on shouting.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:37 pm
 DezB
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Yep, there are some people you can talk to, others need to be approached in a different way...


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:41 pm
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I love people who take a call on their mobile, get up from their desk then go and stand next to someone elses desk while they're on the call 🙄


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:44 pm
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stick a note on his desk saying:

"stop shouting when you're on the phone,

sincerely

EVERYONE'


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:46 pm
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Do you not have rooms tasked for this purpose? Or kitchens etc?


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:48 pm
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We used to have a fake Oscar-type award with "loudest phone-talker" inscribed on it. Usually got the message across.

Paul


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:49 pm
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Had this in a previous job, I decided the best approach was full on rude confrontation- waited til she started a loud conversation with a friend, then I got on the phone to a colleague and walked over to her while more or less screaming my end of the conversation.

I can't say it worked particularily well but at least it was satisfying.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:50 pm
 DezB
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[i]Do you not have rooms tasked for this purpose? Or kitchens etc?[/i]
For what purpose?

[i]"Dear C0ck,
stop shouting when you're on the phone,

sincerely

EVERYONE"[/i]

File-> Print.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 3:50 pm
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I mean rooms where private/sensitive calls can be taken, rather than being made in public. No "break out" areas?


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:01 pm
 DezB
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Of course.. some people don't think their phone calls are private though. In fact quite the opposite: "LISTEN EVERYONE! I'M GREAT ME!"


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:06 pm
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perhaps he's trying to attract your attention.... you know.... sexually.

"yah yah... 1 million.... uh huh, yeah the villa in the alps, oh no puff daddy arrived late and didnt even bring flowers for the missus... yah.... yah... nahh a cheeky half trillion"

type thing?


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:10 pm
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You need phone rooms! We have an open plan office (for CEO down) and lots of breakout rooms/meeting rooms.

If she's annoying you just MTFU and tell her to shut up. Works in our office!


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:11 pm
 DezB
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[i]type thing?[/i]

*Nods. In a sad way*


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:12 pm
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dont be sad debz, you're coming to my wedding and the DJ has just got back from playing the VIP area at global gathering... there might be some more accessible stuff earlier on but you should get to hear some decent music.

EDIt -- the kids wont be bored either 😀


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:14 pm
 DezB
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🙂

hopefully I'll go deaf


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:15 pm
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Wtf is a "breakout" room ?

Is it just another pointless adopted Americanism (I've not worked in an office for a while)


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:16 pm
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IS DEbZ COMING TO THE WEDDING?!?!?!

Thanks for the heads up.

Re the OP... just ask them if the person at the other end has a phone they could call them on?


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:17 pm
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*Andy McNabb voice*

Utlise your environment to its full potential. If its open plan, you'll get a clean head shot

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:18 pm
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don't listen to douglas adams on head phones, sudden uncontrolled laughing doesn't go down well, others don't like it when looks like you're enjoying yourself at work.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:22 pm
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debz and family are coming to the evening bit yah. as is mr poddy and wife i believe.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:23 pm
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We are in pig pens here so its not quite so offensive, so I shout extra loud. 🙂


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:24 pm
 DezB
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[i]Thanks for the heads up.[/i]

*blows a kiss*


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:26 pm
 DezB
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Binners has an idea.
There are 2 Nerf machine guns at my house. 😆
Bloke is ex-army too... That would be awesome!


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:27 pm
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Cue cards.

A laminated A4 sheet with "STFU" on it an as big a font as the paper will allow. Hold in front of face of offender.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:29 pm
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Wtf is a "breakout" room ?

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:34 pm
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We don't have a breakout room, but there's one or two that pong.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:34 pm
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Break out room/space - informal spaces with chairs and/or table to chat about work etc but away from desks and email.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:37 pm
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Had this for couple of years ago. Mrs Doubtfire sleazing it up with the customers at high volume accompanied by hooting laughter.
Tried politeness, tried rudness, tried manager intervention, tried manager with some balls intervention, tried extreme rudness, tried sarcasm.
Gave up.
Left.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:37 pm
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Thanks molgrips, looks like I'm missing out on 80's fun by not being an office bod anymore 🙂


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 4:38 pm
 poly
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Thanks molgrips, looks like I'm missing out on 80's fun by not being an office bod anymore

Well kind of. In the 1980's the "typing pool" often had an open plan office and people with important jobs who needed to talk to people had offices. Now everyone is just a typist of some sort so are in an open plan office. When they actually have some 'real work' to do they use a 'break out room' (which is what in the 1980's was called an office - but doesn't "belong" to anyone.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 5:06 pm
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Worst are those in their own offices that think its ok to have their desk phone on loud speaker & leave the door open...WTF. Get a bloody life. If I'm trying to do manual calcs headphones are usually the only option sometimes.


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 9:12 pm
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Well kind of. In the 1980's the "typing pool" often had an open plan office and people with important jobs who needed to talk to people had offices. Now everyone is just a typist of some sort so are in an open plan office. When they actually have some 'real work' to do they use a 'break out room' (which is what in the 1980's was called an office - but doesn't "belong" to anyone.

Poly, I was referring to Molgrips picture of "breakout" above.

(being a 1980's computer game) 😉


 
Posted : 02/08/2012 9:18 pm
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takisawa2 - Member

Worst are those in their own offices that think its ok to have their desk phone on loud speaker & leave the door open...WTF. Get a bloody life. If I'm trying to do manual calcs headphones are usually the only option sometimes.


Unfortunately I have that to deal with on occasion, closing his door for him usually gets the point across.


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 9:23 am
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Generally our lot are pretty good but we occasionally have muppets joining a conference call hands-free or watching a training video on laptop speakers, the rest of the office does a good meerkat impression combined with excessive throat-clearing when it happens as we don't seem to go for the confrontational approach...


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 9:47 am
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There's a wedding?


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 9:51 am
 aP
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I've spent the last 9 months in an open plan project office which is fine except that when I actually need to concentrate and get some work done I stay till 9 or 10pm. The cleaners bring me a coffee most nights - how sad is that?
Which reminds me, I have a 10,000 word report to write by Monday morning - which I'm doing at home because I don't get interrupted, I've let my mobile battery run down and although the internets works the phone line doesn't.


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 9:53 am
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if we didn't have shouty phoners in the office, who would we pour scourn over? the noisy typers? the noisy printers? those who incessantly talk about weddings? those who come over every 2 minutes to ask dumb questions?

in our office, having headphones on means F*** OFF! I'M BUSY/ have a hangover/ PMT.


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 10:04 am
 DezB
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[i] the noisy typers?[/i]

Someone did have a go at a chap for typing too noisily once - his response "Well.. your... AIR CONDITIONING vent is noisy!" (complainer had a vent above his desk)
how we 😆 ed


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 10:08 am
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Wtf is a "breakout" room ?

Is it just another pointless adopted Americanism (I've not worked in an office for a while)


It would only be pointless if there were an existing well-understood synonym.


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 11:01 am
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Wtf is a "breakout" room ?

Is it just another pointless adopted Americanism (I've not worked in an office for a while)

What it is, right, is where you knock down walls and that, then everything too noisey for meetings and stuff plus people can hear you slagging them off so you get another room put back in, except it's still open plan because you call it a breakout room. And shit.


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 11:33 am
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It would only be pointless if there were an existing well-understood synonym.

"room" ?


 
Posted : 03/08/2012 11:35 am
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