Work Colleague

[snash12]

I know someone posted here earlier that this isn't a forum for employee / employer issues but I literally want to smash my stapler into my face right now, repeatedly.

I have one work colleague who just takes the piss all day every day. I genuinely wonder if she does any work at all. She is excellent at appearing busy / flustered when anyone asks her to do anything.

My main issue is her phone calls to and from her husband. On average i'd say it's anywhere from 10-20 calls per day for maybe 5-10 minutes or the occasional 30 minute call. She doesn't hide it, go outside, move to another room for these calls so it is so distracting.

Its infuriating for me because I sit right near her and its otherwise a fairly quiet office.

Because they speak so often they have NOTHING to say to one another. So I have a big chunk of my day trying to block out

"Yeeeah"
"No"
"How was the traffic" "have you had lunch" followed by 5 minutes of byes .
"alright then darling, I better get back to it.... what'?" and then it starts all over again
"okay then baby love you, love you, ... what?" starts again

WWYD - just tell her to shut up?! I've tried ear phones with music but she has a very loud laugh so it doesn't often work.

Has anyone been in this position? The bosses are fully aware because she often answers the calls in front of them or is on the phone to her husband when they enter the room. I guess it doesn't bother them so there isn't much point in complaining.

Can you be extremely loud when she is on the phone? Start giving the office a hoover, use the shredder or turn the radio up OR ring a friend and have a really loud conversation over hers about utter shit.
In all seriousness though, just complain. It must be infuriating.

If the bosses are aware and you tell her to shut up - then you leave yourself open to a claim of bullying.

@Namechange

My sister said I should try having a loud phone conversation but I genuinely can't do it! She also suggested having a convo with my DP with all the soppy love yous and miss yous but I am just not that sort of person, or at least not in front of other people!

Ask if there could be an office policy on personal calls, that they are made outside the office?

@SloeSloe - really though? I just don't understand how any business owner can put up with employees basically skiving on the phone for a good couple of hours a day.

Just be honest with your boss.
You don't have to be rude about your colleague, just say that you find the constant personal phone calls distracting and that they are affecting your work and can you have a policy in place that says no personal calls until break. I can't see why a sensible boss who wanted productivity would object to that!
If you feel you can speak to your colleague you could try talking to her and explaining that you found it uncomfortable listening to her personal calls and could she please take them outside or never you piss taker

Thanks @namechange

You're right i'm just going to have to speak to them, I actually can't go on like this. When I'm super busy it is quite stressful. She usually leaves a few minutes early on a Friday so I may speak to the boss then.

It depends why she is employed. Is she a friend of the boss etc, is he doin someone a favour. Just sound it out first.

Does she actually have any/sufficient work to do?

I don't think she is a friend of the boss or anyone else, she has been here longer than our boss though!

Maybe not... through the day, she comments a few times "is it home time yet" "god today is dragging". I'm the opposite and sometimes wish the clock would slow down because I have so much to do. We have very different roles though so I can't really ask if she will help me.

I think you should keep a diary of the times & lengths of calls for at least 2 days so you have data to back you up.

Then I agree with others - ask if a policy on personal calls could be introduced.

@Beryl I did think of that but thought if she found out I'd literally been tracking her I would just get myself into trouble!

How the hell has she still got a job? Is it a small Co?

Personally, I would want to ask her if she is forever going to have these conversations with her DH and say 'What on earth are you talking about when you have only just spoken to him'

If she tells you to mind your own business, tell her you can hear every single word and because of that it is your business.

It would do my head in. I would also stop what I'm doing and just stare at her. If she asks why, just say .. well, there's no getting away from your personal conversations with your husband 20 times a day so I thought I would just stop work and listen because I can't do my work properly with your nonsense calls'

Have you said to her 'if you need some work to help you pass the time I can give you some of mine! Hate to see you bored!'
I did this with an old CF colleague of mine. Funnily enough they shut up sharpish about being bored.

I would also stop what I'm doing and just stare at her. If she asks why, just say .. well, there's no getting away from your personal conversations with your husband 20 times a day so I thought I would just stop work and listen because I can't do my work properly with your nonsense calls'

Haha that made me laugh! It's hard to explain but she is quite aggressive / dominating (maybe defensive?!) - I think she genuinely thinks she is doing nothing wrong.

It is a small company, 14 in total and a few are out of the office a lot.

Do you have any sort of office handbook or something that spells out the rules about personal calls? If not, can you suggest that you formulate something? It's highly unlikely that any employer is going to say this is acceptable.

ARRRRGGGH!!!

Shes on the phone again! She was on the phone when I wrote my OP.

(I get that right now i'm rather hypocritical being on mumsnet!)

I was going to ask if you do the same job and you could suggest your workload is increasing because she isn't pulling her weight, but I see you don't have the same role.

I think you may have to go down the route of it's distracting you and suggesting personal calls are not made unless it is an emergency.

@Ceto - no we don't unfortunately. I actually love working for a smaller company most of the time but it makes you realise how larger companies do things - my last place had a very thick employee handbook and pretty much everything you could think of was covered.

There's only one thing for it snash. Send her a link to this thread

Another suggestion - make an unholy din right next to her desk so that she can't have a proper chat with her DH without shouting. That will draw attention to it for everyone else in the office. haven't worked out the finer details of this plan of how to make a din but am working on it

She sounds like a right pain in the arse, is she showing off how lovey dovey she is with her husband? They sound like a couple of wet lettuces to be frank

She has just said to her husband she is leaving at 4:30 so it might be my chance to speak to the boss.

Presumably these calls are coming in on a landline.

If they come via mobile could you ask her to take them outside because they are distracting you and you are busy?

If they're coming in via landline maybe you could ask for her to ask people to call her mobile so that she can take them outside?

Tell your boss asap ! She is taking the utter piss and she needs to be told . They can do it tactically and not let on that it was you who told them . They could say they noticed on the office cctv she is taking a lot of personal calls ??

Let us know what happens! just tell boss you are totally distracted from your work because it is continual

Keep a log of get calls on a typical day to show your boss

@social - no they're all on her mobile so no reason to not move to another area!

She has gone so I'm just working up the courage to go and speak to my boss, I feel nervous.