Office Gossip

[ProxyAmenRa]

The women talk, continuously. It's horrible. I can't stand the topics they talk about. Children, diseases, afflictions, mutations, genital warts, husband's sexual conduct...I have been sufficiently disturbed. I can't concentrate. Every word spoken is reducing my IQ by 50 points. When will it end?

 

[boondockbabe]

When you go home.
Sorry you have to listen to the girl-talk. I'm a girl and I hated that. The worst part is when you have to pretend to care..............Like now

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

When you go home.
Sorry you have to listen to the girl-talk. I'm a girl and I hated that. The worst part is when you have to pretend to care..............Like now

haha, you don't have to

---

At least when working in a factory when I heard something grotesque it was funny.

 

[boondockbabe]

I'll take the factory conversations over the office convesations any day. I miss the dirty jokes too.

 

[Stigmata]

The women talk, continuously. It's horrible. I can't stand the topics they talk about. Children, diseases, afflictions, mutations, genital warts, husband's sexual conduct...I have been sufficiently disturbed. I can't concentrate. Every word spoken is reducing my IQ by 50 points. When will it end?

Use it as an opportunity to make caustic remarks and express unconventional viewpoints on their mundane discussion topics. They'll either completely ostracize you from their social circle or worship you like a god. Either way, you win.

 

[Bird]

The women talk, continuously. It's horrible. I can't stand the topics they talk about. Children, diseases, afflictions, mutations, genital warts, husband's sexual conduct...I have been sufficiently disturbed. I can't concentrate. Every word spoken is reducing my IQ by 50 points. When will it end?

It sounds like we have similar problems Proxy.

 

[digital angel]

I know it's not pleasant. Are you able to close a door? Or, is there any way you can avoid it. You don't have to participate in it.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

I don't interact with them unless it is necessary. I just hear them all day. I would drown them out by listening to music but music is also distracting.

 

[Jesse]

start a drinking game.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

and people say being functionally oblivious is bad.

I say it's a finely honed craft and it's certainly the only reason I'm still sane.


I mean have you ever had to listen to the idle drone of church women before?
Have you?!

 

[boondockbabe]

I'm sorry I can't think of anything. I would always just try to ignore them. But the other thing you can do is talk over them. not louder just smarter-use bigger words that they will have to look up. People don't like talking to people that make them feel stupid. It works pretty good . at least out here in the boondocks.

 

[digital angel]

It sounds like you might not have the option of closing a door. If it helps at all, it's probably safe to say that every office has something like it. Can you develop an obliviousness to it?

How long have you worked at this particular place? If you started relatively recently, try to give it some time.

 

[boondockbabe]

digital angel has alot mor office experience than me, use my advice as a last resort only.

 

[boondockbabe]

and people say being functionally oblivious is bad.

I say it's a finely honed craft and it's certainly the only reason I'm still sane.


I mean have you ever had to listen to the idle drone of church women before?
Have you?!

Not since I quit goin to church. but the office is a place you cant Quit going to.

 

[Polaris]

The women talk, continuously. It's horrible. I can't stand the topics they talk about. Children, diseases, afflictions, mutations, genital warts, husband's sexual conduct...I have been sufficiently disturbed. I can't concentrate. Every word spoken is reducing my IQ by 50 points. When will it end?

Precisely the reasons I now find myself working in a strongly male-dominated environment, accompanied by a only few NT-women. What do the women talk about? Science. How to fix the last generator that broke. Football. The latest paper on fish-genetics. Who's the bastard that pinched their toolbox.

 

[Hadoblado]

I always try and look at what people are talking about from a sociological or psychological perspective. When people are talking about their favourite cars I think about what element of their psych was manipulated into thinking cars are a measure of worth etc. This may not help for you as you are trying to concentrate on your work :P Maybe you should invest in some ear plugs? or find some less distracting music?

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Use it as an opportunity to make caustic remarks and express unconventional viewpoints on their mundane discussion topics. They'll either completely ostracize you from their social circle or worship you like a god. Either way, you win.

+ 1 INTPoints for executing this.

I always try and look at what people are talking about from a sociological or psychological perspective. When people are talking about their favourite cars I think about what element of their psych was manipulated into thinking cars are a measure of worth etc. This may not help for you as you are trying to concentrate on your work :P Maybe you should invest in some ear plugs? or find some less distracting music?

I seem to take this approach also, when I actually care to listen.


Whenever I have to endure random chatter, I can almost feel the nonsense trying to pry its way into my ears and into my consciousness, as it spreads itself, from a concentrated beam, all over the surface of the sides of my head unit. "I don't need this".

The way I see it:
1. Headphones
2. Explode
3. Confront
4. Endure
5. Quit

 

[digital angel]

Perhaps you could develop a blend of obliviousness and psychological/sociological approach to it all. Keep your head in your work and what's important to you. When you do happen to catch a conversation like the one you mentioned, you could say to yourself that there's a reason why they do what they do...and there is. I think you know why some women do what they do.

 

[JoeJoe]

Maybe try Dubstep. It tends not to be as distracting as other music...

 

[EditorOne]

OK, let me put my manager hat on, symbolically anyway because I'm NEVER going back there:

If you don't care about being a prick, complain about them to whoever it is you report to. You may wish them to be silent so that you can be competent at whatever it is you do. Your employer wishes you to be competent also. That's congruent interests of something. They have two counts against them: First, if they are gossiping excessively they aren't doing whatever it is they are paid to do. Second, and this is far more important, if they are interfering with your ability to do your job, you have just found the most wonderful tool in the box. Interfering with other people's ability to do their job is a far worse crime against the employer and fellow employees than not doing their own jobs in the first place.

Look at it like this: Why is whatever drivel they are mumbling more important than your desire to focus and do what you do? You are a person, you have a right to have expectations of others.

That's the "you didn't know I was a prick" approach.

You could just ask them to stop because it's interfering with your ability to do your job. Clever people will hear the hidden "this could go further" message in those words. It's still assertive, just not as dramatic. They get a chance to act like caring human beings.

OK manager hat off. It was a bad fit anyway.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

Good advice EditorOne.

 

[Col]

Use it as an opportunity to make caustic remarks and express unconventional viewpoints on their mundane discussion topics. They'll either completely ostracize you from their social circle or worship you like a god. Either way, you win.

This... Nice one LOL

 

[Hadoblado]

Maybe try Dubstep. It tends not to be as distracting as other music...

Ummm are you kidding? Dubstep makes me giddy and I can't focus for the WUBWUBWUB constantly weaving in and out of the offbeat.


Stigmata has suggested a very good solution IMO