There is a lady in my office with an unbelievably awful laugh. She's the office assistant of one of the guys who rents two rooms in our office.
Anyway, her laugh is like a combination of a hyena and a dog's squeaky toy. She has become quite annoying and laughs alot during the day. She walks around bare foot sometimes and I've even seen her with her feet up on a desk reading a book.
Recently she put one of those plastic-coated paper plates in the convection oven in the office kitchen and then turned the heat up to 300 degrees and left the room. We had to suffer throught the smell of melted plastic all day.
We can hear her cackle all day long.
Is there anything I could do or say? Anything I should suggest to my boss (who owns the office), for him to say to her supervisor.
I want to be polite because she is older than me, but she is wearing on my and my coworkers nerves.
Suggestions.
2007-04-17 08:57:05 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Anything you say will be taken the wrong way. You could just go to your supervisor and ask him to speak to the girls supervisor and ask her to tone it down just a little. You could say that the loudness is making it too hard for you to concentrate on your work. Just expect her to be a little sour to everyone if her supervisor actually takes action and speaks to her.
2007-04-17 09:02:16 · answer #1 · answered by Dovah 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh honey, she doesn't understand polite so I wouldn't waste your time trying to be polite to the old cow. She is a bulldozer. Our Office Cow put popcorn in the microwave for like 16 minutes. There was a FIRE inside the microwave and it had to be thrown away! I get the stink issue 100%. She never shut up and cackled all day, too. And as an added bonus she wore short skirts, tight tops and needed a far more supportive bra. She was also a fan of going barefoot. Oh my god, she quit and now you've got our Old Cow don't you?? LOL
Since your boss is the owner and Office Cow works for one of guys that rents, your boss is the one I would talk to. Trust me, your boss already knows she's a nightmare but hearing it from you might be all he needs. Your boss should talk to the guy renting and ask him keep Office Cow in line.
My only other suggestion is to spend some money on books for her. Gift wrap them and leave them on her chair at her desk, no card of course. Maybe an etiquette book and "The No A__hole Rule" by Robert Sutton. Great books! Here are links to those:
http://www.amazon.com/Business-Etiquette-Dummies-Sue-Fox/dp/0764552821/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5739622-2394424?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176841004&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446526568/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5739622-2394424?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176840914&sr=8-1
Casually observe other people when she is loud, see what they are doing and what expressions they have on their faces. You can tell a great deal by watching them, and tell you boss you have noticed others acting uncomfortable about this persons lack of professionalism. I would play up her volume, if she's loud while you are on the phone with clients and that's not cool. I had one potential client ask me if we were having an office party because she heard the Cow's laughter.
2007-04-17 09:30:28 · answer #2 · answered by wwhrd 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She has become annoying? What has changed? Is she laughing louder? Is she laughing more often or at inappropriate times?
Or is it just that your attitude toward her has changed?
The plastic dish is a one-time thing. Let it go. Move on.
Are you allowed to be barefoot during the day? If there is no office policy against it, then she is okay.
Sounds to me like your attitude has changed, and that behaviors that you once ignored, you are now focusing (obsessing?) on. My guess is that something changed in YOUR life, and you have decided to take it out on this woman by suddenly making her laugh just the absolute RUIN of your day! Oh, heaven forfend that people should laugh at work, Smithers!
2007-04-17 09:09:54 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
She sounds awful. Ask your boss to talk to her boss about the noise level. You don't need to say anything about the laugh, just the noise. The barefoot thing is gross. Put a note on the convection oven.
Can your boss hear all this or is his office more remote than yours? I would bring it up to him either way.
good luck to you.
2007-04-17 11:13:44 · answer #4 · answered by Patti C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey I think I know that lady.
2007-04-17 09:08:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I would send her an anonymous letter and use "we".
2007-04-17 09:19:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋