Work calls on train

This is GENIUS. Brava!

I once heard about a bloke who was so indiscreet that one of the other passengers overheard enough to phone him up, pretend to be the PA of the person he was meeting, and tell him that the meeting had been postponed by an hour.

Oh to be a fly on the wall.

I did this once. It was fun.

Which really is a bit of twatty attitude. Yes it's a public space but most people understand that there are certain social protocols that need to be observed if we are all to rub along. Playing loud music, eating a smelly kebab, using the seat next to you for your bags when others a standing and yes, having a shouty work call in close proximity of others is considered antisocial and inconsiderate.

Lifesucks2024, put music on your phone. Loud.

It's annoying, but ultimately it's a public space.

If you don't want to put up with other people, drive.

I was coming back on the airport bus and a guy was 'ya ya'ing the whole 40 minutes and was so loud. He didn't pick up on the passive aggressive remarks we were making but he gave me a headache. It actually sounded like an interview which was even more ludicrous. I wish I was braver and able to speak my mind more. I am sometimes but I didn't think it was gonna last so long! Yanbu!

I too have been amazed at work conversations people have in public. It can be quite interesting, but often it's just annoying. I've also seen people reading or writing confidential documents.

I did once listen to a student-age young man read out all his card details over the phone - and then repeat them to make sure it was correct. If I had nefarious intent, I'd have loved him for that.

It's weird though. In my last office, we were encouraged to think about how private a call should be, and there were plenty of (claustrophobic) little booths to give privacy in an open-plan office (and to stop annoying everyone else - there were a couple of people where you wondered why they bothered with the phone as probably everyone in southern England could hear anyway...)

But it seems once you step outside the office with members of the public and possibly competitors, then there are no worries.

I hate anyone talking on a commuter train full stop - it's my quiet time before the chaos ensues. I must admit that they're not quite as bad as people not using headphones, but only just.

And YES to the PP who mentioned Bob Mortimer train guy... so bloody funny and painfully accurate!

The quiet carriage on my line is nearly always observed, it's bliss! I get through lots of work while travelling (very quietly and unobtrusively!) and find it so productive.

On the odd occasion there is someone on their phone, I'm always the unapologetic, grumpy old woman raising my head and reminding them not to (please) use their phone in the carriage. 99% of times it's a man. All the other passengers do the quiet British nod to show they're glad someone removed the obnoxious idiot.

I was once on a train and someone was giving someone in their team an official verbal warning....

This reminds me of the train journey in which I sat and listened to a competitors rather loud internal call about a bid on a contract my company was also bidding on. Including the areas they planned to cut a few corners on to maximise profit.

Found the info very useful

I don't think enough people think about who can hear what on trains etc.

I was on a busy commuter train a few years ago and the entire carriage was ‘entertained’ by a 30 something man telling his mate loudly on the phone that he was running out of excuses not to ‘shag’ her because ‘she’s gagging for it’ but he still hadn’t got his test results back from he clinic as he’s sure the last one gave him an infection.

What a lucky lady she must be - he’s a proper charmer

This is so intrusive. I hate anyone talking on the phone on trains longer than just to give a quick message. I also hate people who don’t wear er phones and we all have to listen to whatever they watch or listen to on their phones. It’s often try to give “the look”, but they are always oblivious. It’s as if they were raised by a pack of dogs!

I feel your pain, OP. I'm not a violent woman, but I dream of owning a taser, so that I could taser any gobby idiot on my train/a cafe etc. I'd also deploy it on people with big backpacks on, as I get whacked round the face/body several times for each part of my commute. Don't even get me started on the people that don't take the backpack off their back when getting on a very crowded and boiling hot tube train.

Commuting, the gift that keeps on giving 🙄

Sit next to them and sing “It’s a Small World” out of tune on repeat while rocking happily to yourself. They will fuck off into another carriage.

We're in the trauma clinic at hospital, DP nearly chopped his arm off, there's a man here that had come with his brother, his girlfriend and their child for the brothers appointment. Turns out the brother is in the wrong place so they've gone. But he's stayed here to continue his phone call. Has also been bragging that he got asked to leave multiple waiting areas the other day becuase he was causing too much of a disturbance whenever they tried to put him out the way.

Some people really do just treat the world as their living room.

I think it's the pressure everyone feels to be working during travelling time because there's too much to do and not enough staff in a lot of places to get it all done on time. It's not in to be really loud though, or discuss confidential information.

The worst are men in busy coffee shops, who hog tables for ages and give you dirty looks for being noisy in their 'office'

It's not just on trains, 'work calls' seem to have infiltrated other typical non work environments be it the supermarket, coffee shop, the gym etc. Most of the time it just smacks of 'look at me, I'm a very important business person' as opposed to the reality of them coming across as a poundshop Alan Sugar.

YANBU. An entire train carriage I was on, in rush hour, was once party to a guy's (full volume) job interview, complete with confident bigging-up of his achievements and abilities. You could feel the entire carriage cringing.

Another time I learned more than I wanted to know about a court case as one of the legal team shared the details at extreme length and volume. At least that time it was off-peak and there was only me and maybe a couple of other people within earshot, but I was seriously contemplating ringing and making a complaint should enough identifying details be revealed. It was totally unethical.

I feel absolutely awful this morning, but as far as I'm aware period pains aren't contagious 😆

If you can see her face, can you catch her eye then nod and shake your head in time to her comments as if she’s talking to you? Probably won’t get the hint but worth a try

Tell him you work for one of his competitors and are listening to every word he says.