It seems that my posts regarding loud people, especially loud people in the office, have been quite popular, so I thought it was about time I regaled my readership of the latest issues I have been experiencing in this area. The initial posts were published a number of years ago now and inevitably I have moved about a bit within the office during the interim, in fact the company has even changed hands. Obviously over the intervening years I have been subjected to the usual loud idiots in the workplace, but miraculously managed to retain my sanity to a large degree. Today though I am facing the biggest threat to my remaining sanity so far encountered in the long service I have given my employers. I moved to my current seating position six months ago and at first found it pleasant. I overlook the city from my high up window seat and found the office space to be a fairly quiet and peaceful place to work. I should have known this idyll would of course be destroyed sooner or later, that destruction occurred about three weeks ago when two people moved to the work spaces opposite mine. It is hard to believe that just two people can cause so much aural disturbance. I have now not only the unfortunate position of being an office worker but of being an office worker in an office with the equivalent ambient noise of a major building site.
Last week I decided to make some objective measurements of the noise level so downloaded app for my iPhone called Decibel 10. With it I measure the ambient noise level at my desk. In just two days I have peak reading of 99 decibels (remember this is at my desk). I partly blame the fact the vocally louder individual of the two individuals sits on the other side of the partition from me.
Decibel 10 app screenshot - max decibel level: 99
For this duo everything in their working day is a big disaster. To call them drama queens is the understatement of the century. Upon reflection it’s fairly obvious though that this is all a sad attempt at getting attention from people to validate their importance and for constant reassurance that their self-perceived humour and lovability is still working, when all it does is alienate and engender a feeling of intense dislike toward them. Just yesterday I found out that the vocally louder (and older) one opposite my desk seems to have an overbearing father who I suspect bullied him whilst at the same time did not allow him the parental attention a small child craves, resulting in the ‘look at me’ personality now displayed. I am no psychologist, however, this seems fairly obvious to me. And how am I privy to such intimate details of a stranger’s personal life? I have to say I know more about this individual now due to his obsessive talking, that I feel I have had the misfortune to know him all my life.
But it’s not just family matters and work he broadcasts, every thought in this one’s head is vocalised loudly. There appears to be no disconnection between thought and mouth. Most of us have a thought and then consider whether to vocalise it based on its importance and relevance to others. This individual has no such check mechanism, the thoughts, no matter how insignificant and pointless, are broadcast to half the office undoubtedly without any idea that it is being done.
Anyway the two constantly rib each other and listening to their shtick is like being in the front row of an Edwardian music hall and being treated to a particularly cheesy and an un-enjoyable performance by a wanna be Laurel and Hardys. I find myself cringing with embarrassment every few minutes.
Why whinge? Well I can’t complain as I know neither will ever change, their personalities are hardwired and unfortunately one of them is a general manager. I wear headphones but this really has no effect unless I turn up the volume to eleven, but then concentrating on my work is an issue (not that it isn’t when they're at it). I guess though in summing up this is to be expected, I cannot assume I will ever work with decent, responsible or mature people in an office, I am simply resigned to having to put up with imbecilic idiots like this for as long as I remain doing what I do, so ultimately have only myself to blame.
