To have worn ear plugs at work?

[CorbynsLips]

I started a new job four weeks ago. My “mentor” is ridiculously loud. She randomly screams, shouts, runs around shrieking and squealing. She’s so loud that I had to ring the IT office one day and could hear her, on the other end of the phone also speaking to someone in the IT office. She’s really animated, over reacts constantly, literally sat and screamed at the top of her voice at her laptop because her smart card wouldn’t work.

I was in the car with her on Thursday and someone called her. She answered on hands free and was screaming and shouting so loud for 20 minutes that I ended up with a migraine and had to go home.

I just can’t cope with it. I feel like stuffing my coat into her mouth. It’s making me have violent thoughts towards her.

So on Friday I wore ear plugs to work. She screamed at me why was I wearing them so I told her I’m finding the noise levels in the office too much. She burst out laughing and shouted to the full room that everyone needs to whisper so someone said “whisper? Do you even know what that word means?” So I know other people feel the same! I don’t know what else to do but a supervisor has said the ear plugs are antisocial

I guess I'd just point out that you can still hear her through the ear plugs so its not antisocial, just reducing the noise manageable levels.

If you really ended up with an actual migraine, as opposed to a noise-induced headache, then it may well have been triggered by the stress of the situation and you should see your doctor and occupational health/HR for assistance in dealing with the negative impact your colleague's unreasonable behaviour is having on your health.

If it was, in fact a noise-induced headache, go straight to HR/your line manager. This woman's behaviour is clearly still unreasonable, but please don't bandy 'migraine' around if you mean headache.

My mil has had similar issues at work, however she is the one that shouts. She gets really upset because she doesn't realise she's doing it and hates to upset others. She's actually had a disciplinary because of it. She is profoundly deaf in one ear.

If you can still hear her to have a conversation then you aren't making yourself unavailable. So not antisocial.

I’ve worn them in the office loads of time , really helps when working in an open office and trying to focus on an important piece of work , some listen to music but I prefer the earplugs

I'd have told her to shut the fuck up by now.

Find another job. Life is too short to put up with that.