Dear Human Resource,
Im writing for advice on how to deal with overbearing coworkers.
Im a grad student in a shared office space.
Ive tried wearing headphones but then this person will just tap me on the shoulder.
Its always an unnecessary interruption, like Look at this cute picture, etc.
This makes the whole vibe of the office not work-friendly; its hard to be productive.
How do I put down some boundaries?
But they have absolutely sparked an unbelievable boom in people complaining about having their privacy undermined.
Unfortunately, theres no easy single-shot remedy.
But heres a three-point plan.
Its not pain-free, but it ought to help restore some sanity to your situation.
This underscores the fact that your visitor is interrupting, and better have something to say.
And as dumb as this might sound, consider howconspicuousyour headphones or earbuds are.
Are they listening to me?
Are they listening to music?
This is all obnoxious and gross, and another step backward for civil discourse and humanity in general.
It is also, in this instance, your goal.
Can you talk in the conference room [or wherever]?
Say it in a friendly way, with a smile.
This isnt a fight.
The shoulder-tapper is trickier.
(And maybe throw ina Merkel flinchresponse to the handsy attention-getting.)
If this persons neediness is really interfering with your job, you may have to be more direct.
If I have headphones on, can you hold off on anything thats not work-related until later?
Again, dont make it a confrontation.
But dont deny yourself the right to articulate basic ground rules.
Go ahead and let your colleague show you a funny picture now and then.
Tolerate a co-workers less-than-stellar account of a weekend adventure.
We all need to be indulged sometimes.
Then cut that mess off and get back to work.
Send your work-world questions to[email protected].
Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
