Crying baby outside office

[RevoltingPeasant]

Lunchtime work dilemma for y'all...

Outside our office is a courtyard (on 'company' property, though). There is also a company creche/ nursery. One chap takes his baby out at lunchtime to sit in the courtyard, right next to the ground-floor offices. Trouble is, the baby screams and screams, often for about half an hour or more.

'Lunch-time' is flexible here, so plenty of people are working during this, or are just having working lunches at their desks. My colleague is really bugged by this and wants to go out and ask him to take his baby elsewhere for lunch. I am pretty neutral on this because I am MNing not working am still able to concentrate through the crying.

WSBU to ask the chap to go elsewhere, or is that super grinchy? Discuss.

Shut the windows?

I'm on the side of I think she would be unreasonable, she should get some ear plugs I wonder why the baby cries so much?

Your friend is BU.

Fuck I was just about to give my opinion and then I saw the word 'Discuss'

It's a pet hate of mine and "Piss off" is my general reply to that

I think a bit grinchy, although I can understand it must be annoying. Is there anywhere else he could go (i.e. is it a nice area to go for a walk or are you on an unappealing business park or similar)?

Surely the cold and bad weather will stop the baby and parent being out there for much longer?
By the time the weather gets better the baby should have grown out of the constant screaming...moving to intermittant screaming...shouting...babbling...
If its not getting better or less frequent have a word with the creche not with the doting parent.

Yes - that "Discuss" brings out the worst in me too :o. It's has a demanding note to it - discuss this now, dammit.

Anyway - on the one hand yes, a screaming baby outside your window while you're working must be very annoying. On the other hand, it's quite sweet of the chap to want to spend quality time with his offspring during his lunch-hour and who are you to stop the father/baby bonding? What your colleague should do is wander down to the courtyard and ask in a sympathetic manner whether the baby's OK what with the crying and all, and that might be enough to alert the chap to the fact it's an annoyance, or at least very audible in the offices.

Sorry worra Am in education, it's a habit!

Windows are closed, but single glazed. We are actually on a university campus so he could go elsewhere although it might still be bothering people.

Goddamnit Hassled, the 'discuss' was lighthearted But I like your style: the passive aggressive mode.... will try!

It's ok, I've Tippexed my monitor

Is the courtyard a public space or part of the company's premises?

If the former, then you just have to put up with it.

But if the latter, then I think the general idea applies that company is providing facilities so that its business can be transacted. If a part of them is used in a way that is impeding work, then adjustments need to be made. Protracted screaming next to those trying to work (whether the noise is made by a baby or is the hysterical cackling of another group of employees on their lunch) is not on.

But how best to secure a basic level of consideration will depend on your actual workplace dynamics. If you think the father might be unaware that the noise is causing difficulty, then a tactful word asking him to keep well away from the windows is probably best.

how lovely that he takes his son out :)

Doesn't she get pissed off when the babies/children are playing?

If the creche puts up a sign saying: 'This is a place of work blah blah.. Please have consideration when entering and leaving the creche and using the adjoining courtyard' then it picks on no one individual and stresses that sustained, loud noises aren't really appropriate.

Courtyard is on campus (so 'company', yes). It's too small a space for him to keep effectively away from the windows; he'd have to go elsewhere.

candles, the children from the creche don't play near our offices, they have their own area somewhere else. He is coming out of the creche area and sitting down in the nearest courtyard which happens to be by us, iyswim.

She would be VU if she asked him to stop taking his baby out there, he can go where ever he wants surely?! I can see why it would be annoying though but it's just one of those tough luck situations.

How nice he's spending time with his baby though :) that would have my ovaries melting if I saw that!

He can eats where he wants with his baby. She is being VVU and actually quite mean. It's nice that the dad gets to spend his lunch time with his DC when so many fathers don't always get that chance.
Why can't she just take her lunch the same time the child comes out of nursery.

What kind of reaction does she expect? An apology? She may get told off for being a complete bitch and she would deserve it.

The father in question is being very unreasonable for allowing his baby to scream for half an hour. Why is a baby routinely being allowed to cry like that? The only person that I am worried about in this scenario is the poor baby.