Egg eating colleague

[MoonlightDancer]

Posting here for traffic...I work in a mixed office...

Colleague 1 eats egg salad everyday and stinks the office out to high heaven!! Complains she has problems with her bones and refuses to have the window open, suggested could we swap desks so she's not near the window! No she's had the desk for years and likes to see out and stink everyone out to death!

Colleague 2 Farts loudly like a trooper absolutely wreaks! Thinks because they apologise loudly it's ok!

Colleague 3 EVERYTHING is a drama even opening the post! incredibly loud and obnoxious can't hear myself think!

I spend less time in the office and on corridors but I'm now behind on so much I don't know what to do!

I've been out of work taking bits here and there to get by so now I've got this I can't afford to quit but it's driving me insane!

There's lots of nasty toxic bitching going on with colleague 3 with everyone about everyone a type that as soon as you leave the door you know you're being talked about! I had to ask gently for them to be quiet yesterday whilst on the phone as could not hear a word...cue death stares!

Colleague 1 loves it when I get something wrong or mess up, they sit their staring across at me I sit with my back to her (the way the desks are arranged thank god) when I turn around she is staring at me smirking...she is very vocal that she doesn't care as she's been there a long time and is friends with HR...I just feel drained and don't want to get up everyday to go in but we need to dig ourselves out of debt this wage has really helped this last month and taken major pressure off DH. I just don't know what to do...I'm going to have to quit?

Unless you all have some ideas on how to cope with this until Christmas! The job is temporary but the option is there for permanent if I want it! I am still looking for jobs and applying in the mean time but my motivation has gone!!

I've asked if there are any spare offices/desks I can work from...nothing available...working from home is not an option...I spoke to my manager yesterday they just said yes we're aware of the issues and dealing with them! Past members of staff have complained but it seems nothing has been done hence why people leave!

Headphones.
There are 136 colleagues in my office, 95 (hot) desks, which can all be full some days.

Tbh you can't really moan about what lunch people eat! the rest though fuck that, take a can of air freshener information shit arse, and flip the other cocky bitch the bird when she stares at you, then get down the jobcentre after Xmas.

"in for" not information

Sorry to hear this. Is your debt sizeable?
Unless you really love the job itself, or it’s a great stepping stone to something else, I wouldn’t consider taking it permanently if the situation is so intolerable and unlikely to change. It is tricky for management/HR to deal with and, as they say others have left because of it in the past, they clearly have not and are not going to do anything about it. Can you have an end date in mind e.g decide you won’t be back after Christmas and this may motivate you more with regard to other jobs, even temporary ones? You could perhaps still seek some seasonal work in the meantime and leave before Christmas, but just having that date in mind and knowing this isn’t forever could really help you. Can you go elsewhere while your colleague is eating the egg salad or would that disrupt your work?

Earphones
Spray air freshener
Bring stinkier lunch ...fish curry garlic bread etc
OR revisit HR and offer the desk swap as a partial solution. No one has permanent need of a view!

I’m afraid many offices seem to have a bitching culture. The next job could be the same so hang in there if money’s good.

I sympathise workplaces can be toxic not to mention claustrophobic- personally I wouldn't quit in the same circus but make the decision that's best for you

When I was newly pregnant with dc1 there was a temp who kept bringing in fucking quiche to eat at his desk. More than once I had to power walk to the loo to gag into the bowl because the smell would set off my morning sickness.

He’d have a full lunch, then dead on 3:30pm her trot down to the kitchen to heat up half a family sized quiche to eat at our bank of tables.

When he left we bought him a quiche as a leaving present.

I’m not arsed about people eating at their desks in front of me, but choosing to eat something really pungent is downright antisocial and inconsiderate.

The farting is completely unacceptable - I’d tell them to go the loo every single time, medical problem or not. It too sure what you can do about the other 2 though. I wouldn’t count on management sorting it.

i eat egg salad.
but i eat it quickly

Look for a new job

Headphones
Air freshener you spray AT any smells.
New job

A humidifier would work well for the smells. Get a gel airfreshner thing and put it on your desk and maybe a strong flower ie: gardeniers if you OK with those scents.

Why have you finished every paragraph with an exclamation mark?

You should have hyphenated “egg-eating”. I thought a giant egg had swallowed your workmate.

I'd say this is normal office crap. But every manager I've had would pull up the farting, unless a serious medical condition was the cause.

Why even look at collegue 1?

As for the other stuff, you're going to have to work on your level of tolerance.

Thanks for the replies all...I was hoping to last until xmas...Sorry was trying not to give too much info but I work in a school so earphones/earplugs are out of the question especially when I tell the kids off for having them in 

I will definitely not be taking the job that's one thing I'm sure of...gel air fresheners a good idea can't spray due to health and safety...

@TheMustressMhor not every paragraph ends in a ! 

@StillCoughingandLaughing wishful thinking!

“ Why have you finished every paragraph with an exclamation mark?”

She hasn’t.
Paragraph 1 finishes with ...
Paragraph 2 finishes with —
Paragraph 8 finishes with ?

Tbh you can't really moan about what lunch people eat!

Where I work, there is a "no smelly food in offices" rule. Anyone that wants to eat anything stinky has to eat it in the upstairs kitchen, which is huge and doubles as a staff room. It used to be a "no hot food" rule, but was revised because of things like hard boiled eggs. In one office, they can't even take a cup-a-soup to their desks because one staff member objected.

Maybe you should suggest a similar rule, OP. If there's no support for it, swig some water next time The Farter or Mrs Eggy are making smells, then chuck up into your bin.

Don't apologise, just point out that the vomitting is their fault for emitting noxious smells.

For the loud one, I can only recommend headphones and music on your phone.

Send them hate mail, taxis, pizzas, porn, spray their stuff with rank stale urine in a spray bottle.
I'm done with selfish colleagues who act like animals.

Ok I wouldn't do this but sometimes I really want to.

Sorry, that should have said "swig some salt water" and doesn't make sense without the missing word!

You can stick it out until Christmas, OP.

If you’ve been out of work and just doing ‘bits and pieces’ then don’t quit this job - easier to get with when you’re in work.

Heat up your fish lunch in the microwave for at least 5 minutes everyday

Does egg salad really stink that much?

Re the farting, I'd send an email round about social niceties etc.

Keep sending out your cv - hopefully something will turn up. In the meantime is there no other room that can be used as a canteen for eating? Use air freshener and if anyone complains about the use of the spray remind them it's because of them you need it. Some people truly are disgusting.

Take in a jar of pickled onions and leave them open on your desk.