About minute silences at work

[onesupplied]

We had a one minute silence today to recognise the Grenfell tragedy.

We all received an email well in advance about this. Our office manager sets off an alarm at 11am and when the silence is over. We've (sadly) done this a couple of times now in the past month.

There still remain a few colleagues who seem to take no notice. Although not talking they're typing, clicking, scrolling, shuffling papers.

AIBU to think that this is bloody disrespectful and that everyone can afford to take one minute out of their day?

Totally disrespectful. I tapped a girl on the shoulder on the tube once, chattering away into her phone despite the announcement of the minutes silence.

So you expected a mouthful but still talked and risked starting an argument to force someone who wasn't interested to 'pay their respects?'

Silences are fine. I observe them whenever I can.
I cannot bear competitive silencing though.
People glaring around just wishing they could catch someone not being respectful enough.
Its a bit like competitive poppy wearing. Now its not enough to wear one at the right time. You have to get in early, preferably the beginning of September and adhere to the totally made up 'correct' positioning.

Leave people be and concentrate on your own thoughts and feelings. Fuming about other people clicking and scrolling isn't exactly respectful when you are supposed to be reflecting is it?

I work In a shop and we annouce it over the tannoy and stop working. If people don't like it tough shit. We were personally affected by the Manchester bombing and that silence meant a lot to us.

I cannot bear competitive silencing though.
Well said. Each to their own method.

What actual good does a minute of silence do?

I dint realise you were supposed to sit reverently. I thought you were just supposed to not talk, so those people may have been oblivious OP.

I hate all these silences we're having lately. I think it's mawkish. Plus where do you draw the line? Will there be a minutes silence for Finsbury Park? Stick with WW1 and leave it at that.

Well, that's totally different then, isn't it?

Not really. OP specifically said 'surely everyone can take a minute out of their day', I was pointing out that no, not everyone can. Why does everyone on MN assume everyone works in an office environment? Plenty professions where this is just not possible. No doubt some of the front line staff who dealt with this tragedy were busy dealing with other emergencies too.
Had OP been talking specifically about her colleagues then I'd probably agree with her.

Yes, ThanksMsMay, I did. It wasn't about "forcing her to pay her respects", that was her own affair, it was about her shutting up as my kids were looking bemused at her giggling away at full throttle.
It wasn't my business, but I did it anyway.

Absolutely fuck all, apart from giving officious twats something else to pester other people about.

It's all far too demonstrative - for one thing, I don't know why sports grounds around the country have to observe silences for events that have nothing to do with sport.

Also, I don't think a minute's silence is a remotely appropriate or relevant response to the worst case of institutional manslaughter in decades.

I try to observe them if I can, mostly for the people around me who want to- but I've spent days thinking about this current tragedy, I've shed tears.

I can't not continue with my work when I have a needle hanging out of someone's arm.

All I think is, the whole office is observing the silence, so it's being disrespectful to others by making a lot of noise.

Obviously this doesn't extend to roles where work can't be stopped but my work is absolutely not time critical (and nor is the work of anyone else in my office).

I'll be honest, I don't usually like this including the 3 minutes on Armistice Day. It's a recent thing in the UK and I feel the Fail and The Scum milk it for their own purposes.

HOWEVER today I did want to do it. I live in central London and know the Latimer Road area well. It felt the right thing to do.

It should be a personal matter, though.

Whether you fundamentally agree with the silence or not (and I also no way think it is enough to express what has happened) I just think to be loud throughout is just obnoxious.

OP you seem to want to control what other people do. That's wrong.

Some of the front line staff who dealt with Grenfell Tower took a minute out of their day to observe the silence. Then got back to work.
I don't think taking 60 seconds out of your day to think about the victims of that, or recent terrorist attacks is too much to ask. If it is, remove yourself or think about your shopping list or something, it's no skin off my arse.

We have a minutes silence about once a week now. Personally I think its ridiculous. It feels very shallow to me for some reason. Something happens- minutes silence - sorted

Some of the front line staff who dealt with Grenfell Tower took a minute out of their day to observe the silence. Then got back to work.

To be fair, it's not that surprising that someone with such a personal connection to the tragedy would want to observe the silence.

You can be silent but you can't force other people to, me not being silent doesn't make you less silent

I object to selective minute silences. There are so many tragedies that don't get included.

I won't actively speak to /ask questions of someone who is being silent, but I don't have to be silent in order to respect your silence, equally you should respect my choice

Ooh you could be in my building, same procedure with the email and a subtle alarm before and after the silence. My team seemed to observe the silence universally but we don't really use the phones, there are incoming call staff in another section (no idea if they observe it or not). I think as long as people aren't making noise then carry on working, but aggressive clicking and typing is not on. I wouldn't confront someone for that though even if miffed about it. You can observe yourself but you can't force people to reflect on something.

We take the minute silence away from the desks and into the a communal area. We have a large break out area and a flag pole outside. Depending on the weather it's held at one or the other. For those who don't want to join in they stay at their desk.

Works better.

In my last role where the phone was expected to be answered if rung we set a temp voicemail for the day saying we would be observing the silence between x and x and x and we'd call back. Phone then forwarded at the start of the silence.

We observed the silence for Manchester as it touched our community in that people from it died and people who were there were affected. It would seem wrong to me to ignore silences for terrorist attacks elsewhere, or tragedies on the scale of Grenfell Tower (which is what pissed me off about DS's school not observing it today).
I get that it's a personal thing. I could hear the kitchen staff prepping during today's but that's up to them and their supervisor. They weren't in front of the children and so weren't contravening the agreement of the school community to observe it in classrooms.
I used to absent myself from the bar where I worked where the National Anthem was played every night. I won't stand to attention for it but neither will I blatantly carry on stacking glasses or slicing lemons while people to whom it means something sing it. I'd just look like a bit of an insensitive dick

I don't really reflect on the subject of the silence during the silence - my brain chooses its own times to reflect on terrible things. I just sit still while my mind continues its usual ramblings.

I work for a large company in an open plan office and there was a girl on the phone the whole time even though they are told to tell clients 5 mins prior we are observing the silence. Also people typing, nothing is so important it can wait for a minute! Disrespectful