Difficult coworker?

[Geila]

Dh hates work yakkers. If people start talking to him he just ignores them and keeps doing his own thing. Since he does this to everyone, people have learned that it's not personal, he's just not interested. He's a salaried employee and sees it as them stealing his time, because he still has to get his work done no matter what. So every minute he listens to them or talks to them is a minute he has to make up for on his own dime. He doesn't care whether people like him or not. He's there to work and get paid. The End.

Maybe practice some similar detachment? I do think it's easier for men to get away with it than it is for women. Women are expected to be "nice" all the time.

[Ultralight]

You allow her to babble at you for ten minutes? ten interminable minutes? Dear god. And while she is standing at your comouter?

there are many things wrong with this, but at the least, she is stealing time from your employer. At least she doesn't do with this everyone because they have cut her off, if I understand the situation correctly.

I had someone babbling at me last week and
I could take it for about a minutes, maybe it was closer to two minutes, but then I was done.

when she doesnt honor your statement of getting back to work, you need to tell her "I cant work while you are talking to me, I need to work now." And if that doesnt work tell her "please leave now." She may need that kind of direction.

She does this to everyone.

I would not put up with it outside of work because that time is way to valuable. At work, that is my employer's time. So I am not very strict.

[sweetana3]

People from my group used to congregate at my desk and just talk about whatever because I was the secretary, was in the middle of the area, and had a kind of counter on one side of my space they could lean on. I finally had it and simply told them they were not allowing me to concentrate on my work. Since one of them was the union rep., it was recognized as a clear request to leave and let me work. At that point, it was a work issue. There were other times and places to talk to each other.

Some people need clear direction and often repeated directions. I like the idea of a timer, if you have the minutes to give them. I think it is always right to tell someone you do not have time to socialize because you have work to do.

[Lainey]

Maybe try blaming it on an anonymous boss or senior administrator. Boss "said I'm spending too much time socializing so I won't be able to chat at work now or else I'll get in trouble."
The work version of "it's not you, it's just the rules.."

[gimmethesimplelife]

One thing I love about being a temp and working banquets - it's perfectly acceptable for me, as long as I'm maintaining productivity, to go off into my own world and have little to do with co-workers other than for realistically required work reasons. It makes life a lot easier if you don't have to schmooze, though there are a few temps I've worked with that I have known for some time now and with these few I feel safe to schmooze while we are on break on our free meal while our guests are listening to their guest speaker. Other than that, I am grateful to be done (at least at this work situation) with work socialization/politics. Rob

[JaneV2.0]

One thing I love about being a temp and working banquets - it's perfectly acceptable for me, as long as I'm maintaining productivity, to go off into my own world and have little to do with co-workers other than for realistically required work reasons. It makes life a lot easier if you don't have to schmooze, though there are a few temps I've worked with that I have known for some time now and with these few I feel safe to schmooze while we are on break on our free meal while our guests are listening to their guest speaker. Other than that, I am grateful to be done (at least at this work situation) with work socialization/politics. Rob

Yes, yes, yes. I arranged my work life to avoid schmoozing as much as possible--often working off shifts. In some jobs, with some co-workers, I didn't mind so much, but so much mindless small talk can be draining.