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#Post#: 13217--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: mime Date: September 6, 2018, 8:28 pm
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I recently moved from a large-ish cube to a collaborative space,
and he six of us there are feeling our way through the
transition and respecting each other's time and space.
So far we don't have anyone on speaker phone or using smelly
lotion (there has been some smelly food), and when some people
start chatting about non-work topics, it's not too loud and
nobody is bothered when people just turn their backs to get back
to work.
The thing that's getting under my skin right now is that I can't
get ten minutes of work done before someone is calling over to
me to discuss something or ask a question. I don't know if that
counts as a breach of etiquette... The "collaborative" aspect of
the space is definitely working! I'm just getting overwhelmed
trying to keep everyone else productive.
I also wonder if we're going to get past this phase where it's
all so new to us, and start to get careless about being
respectful to each other.
#Post#: 13225--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: NyaChan Date: September 6, 2018, 10:20 pm
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People who see that you’re presenting over an online meeting
tool to clients but gather in a group right next to you loudly
talking and laughing their heads off. Extra points if it
centers around the same person who complains if anyone near them
has a personal conversation
#Post#: 13333--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: GardenGal Date: September 8, 2018, 2:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=pjeans link=topic=656.msg13217#msg13217
date=1536283723]
I recently moved from a large-ish cube to a collaborative space,
and he six of us there are feeling our way through the
transition and respecting each other's time and space.
So far we don't have anyone on speaker phone or using smelly
lotion (there has been some smelly food), and when some people
start chatting about non-work topics, it's not too loud and
nobody is bothered when people just turn their backs to get back
to work.
The thing that's getting under my skin right now is that I can't
get ten minutes of work done before someone is calling over to
me to discuss something or ask a question. I don't know if that
counts as a breach of etiquette... The "collaborative" aspect of
the space is definitely working! I'm just getting overwhelmed
trying to keep everyone else productive.
I also wonder if we're going to get past this phase where it's
all so new to us, and start to get careless about being
respectful to each other.
[/quote]
If I'm understanding this collaborative setup correctly, you
have, essentially, zero privacy. That would make me nuts, and I
hope it works out for you. Maybe you and your co-workers need
to agree on set hours when people shouldn't be interrupted
except for a genuine emergency? I don't think I could get nearly
enough work done with interruptions every 10 minutes, especially
if I'm working on something complicated/difficult. Good luck!
#Post#: 13362--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: Aleko Date: September 9, 2018, 2:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I've been lucky enough never to work in that kind of setup. But
several friends who have, tell me that good team decides on a
clear visual marker for 'don't interrupt me or make a noise near
my desk' and uses it. It might be a coloured placard plonked on
your desk; one office had "The pink pashmina of stress" hanging
up for anyone to use in an emergency; in another, everyone kept
a cap or hat and put it on whenever they didn't want to be
disturbed.
#Post#: 13363--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: HenrysMom Date: September 9, 2018, 2:48 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Someone upthread mentioned gum smacking, which reminded me of a
former coworker “Carol.” Carol didn’t just smack her gum, she
popped it...loudly...every 20 seconds...for 8 hours....every
stinking day. Drove me and the other coworkers absolutely nuts.
I complained to Carol herself, our lead, and my supervisor who
would call her out for that as well as the absolute paper rat’s
nest that was her desk. She would stop for a day or two, then
start up again.
The supervisor finally got tired of everyone complaining and
moved Carol to a satellite location to assist the worker there,
who was almost stone-deaf. The last straw, however, came the
day she thought that drinking an entire bottle of NyQuil whilst
on the job was a good idea.
#Post#: 13367--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: pierrotlunaire0 Date: September 9, 2018, 10:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Once, in cubicleland, I worked with a very nice woman, Toni.
Someone once said, "You know, Toni is the sweetest woman. But I
swear, if I told her that I had just been diagnosed with a fatal
disease, she would laugh."
And it was true. Every sentence she uttered would be punctuated
with a short laugh. It was a nervous tic, or maybe it had
already evolved into an unbreakable habit. That short laugh was
like fingernails on a chalkboard, and it made me not want to
talk to her because I knew any word from her would be
accompanied by that laugh.
#Post#: 13370--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: LeslieF Date: September 9, 2018, 10:49 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Raw onions in someone's lunch periodically. Once so strong that
when I arrived to my floor the next day, I could still smell it.
I tried going around to everyone in that department and
saying something like "I'm not sure who may have had onions in
their lunch yesterday, but the smell was overpowering. I could
even smell it when I came in today." Nobody fessed up and I
still have to smell it once in a while.
The double cube next to me is a two-fer. The one who is there
every day is loud. I mean not just loud, but L-O-U-D. She once
claimed she was hurt that people told her this and claimed that
most everyone she talked to was on a cell phone so she has to be
loud to be heard. Well I can't hear a thing if I need to be on
the phone with someone. >:(
The other employee comes in only a few times per month. She is
one of those people who douse themselves with scent. I have a
small fan on my desk that I try to angle to keep fresher air in
my vicinity. But yes, you can smell her at 100 paces!
#Post#: 13379--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: Rose Red Date: September 9, 2018, 4:03 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Many of the women in our open plan office don't laugh; they
cackle loudly and often. Very cringe worthy.
#Post#: 13382--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: Copper Horsewoman Date: September 9, 2018, 4:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=GardenGal link=topic=656.msg13333#msg13333
date=1536433495]
[quote author=pjeans link=topic=656.msg13217#msg13217
date=1536283723]
I recently moved from a large-ish cube to a collaborative space,
and he six of us there are feeling our way through the
transition and respecting each other's time and space.
So far we don't have anyone on speaker phone or using smelly
lotion (there has been some smelly food), and when some people
start chatting about non-work topics, it's not too loud and
nobody is bothered when people just turn their backs to get back
to work.
The thing that's getting under my skin right now is that I can't
get ten minutes of work done before someone is calling over to
me to discuss something or ask a question. I don't know if that
counts as a breach of etiquette... The "collaborative" aspect of
the space is definitely working! I'm just getting overwhelmed
trying to keep everyone else productive.
I also wonder if we're going to get past this phase where it's
all so new to us, and start to get careless about being
respectful to each other.
[/quote]
If I'm understanding this collaborative setup correctly, you
have, essentially, zero privacy. That would make me nuts, and I
hope it works out for you. Maybe you and your co-workers need
to agree on set hours when people shouldn't be interrupted
except for a genuine emergency? I don't think I could get nearly
enough work done with interruptions every 10 minutes, especially
if I'm working on something complicated/difficult. Good luck!
[/quote]
Maybe an agreed-upon visual signal that says "I have to
concentrate! Please do not disturb!"? Example: could everyone
keep a small (like a beanie-baby) sized figure in their desk,
and put it out when they need an uninterrupted stretch?
#Post#: 13396--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubes Open Office land - what breaches of etiquette have you
seen?
By: ZekailleTasker Date: September 9, 2018, 10:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Our main library's cubicle land is on the top floor and is
protected from the public by a coded lock.
Unfortunately, people keep giving the combination out to family,
friends and strangers roaming the halls and these folks pass the
code on to other folks.
One of my colleagues who works at the main library says it's
scary to be in there alone because you cannot see the door above
your cubby and whenever the door opens, you don't know who is
coming in. Personal items have been stolen and it's probably
only a matter of time before something really terrible happens.
The codes have been changed at least three times and staff have
been told NOT to give it out....but it never seems to stop and
it's hard to deduce who is actually handing it out.
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