Tico Tico
'Open plan office' means that management still get privacy but the lower corporate life forms are stuck in the middle of the carpeted tundra of the office under harsh overhead lights and with their desks and computer screens on display for all and sundry. For people who care, it is an intrusive work environment. Luckily I don't care. In fact, for most of today I have been enjoying the delights of Boys in Makeup aka Brian Molko on youtube. I have also listened to 60 different versions of 'Tico Tico No Fuba'. I am not exaggerating (http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/11/61_versions_of_.htm1) - like I have said earlier...ANYTHING to pass the time.
Anyway, I digress. The issue here is white noise versus loud phone conversations. I fight off the white noise usually with Tico Tico and tuning out in general (conversation last week: my colleague: did you hear that? me: what? my colleague: that beeping sounds me: no - it was the smoke alarm batteries dying and the alarm was located above my desk). My boss has an interesting approach to white noise versus phone noise - if he is in his office and not on the phone then instead of shutting his door to cut out the white noise of people legitmiately working, he asks everyone in the vicinity to please keep it down. If he is on the phone and doesn't want to be heard, he shuts the door. If he is on the phone and the conversation is a) unimportant, b) long and c) irritating to people outside his office, he leaves the door wide open. This clear broach of office etiquette used to frustrate me until today when I accidentally discovered another mechanism for silence I can impose on him. By talking loudly on my mobile phone on a personal call while standing up at my desk, he will shut the door to his office. Not ask me to keep it down or even finish the conversation, which he has every right to do - but he will shut the door.
I would be in a much worse position in this world if it weren't for all the anti-conflict personalities I come into conflict with so much of the time.
Anyway, I digress. The issue here is white noise versus loud phone conversations. I fight off the white noise usually with Tico Tico and tuning out in general (conversation last week: my colleague: did you hear that? me: what? my colleague: that beeping sounds me: no - it was the smoke alarm batteries dying and the alarm was located above my desk). My boss has an interesting approach to white noise versus phone noise - if he is in his office and not on the phone then instead of shutting his door to cut out the white noise of people legitmiately working, he asks everyone in the vicinity to please keep it down. If he is on the phone and doesn't want to be heard, he shuts the door. If he is on the phone and the conversation is a) unimportant, b) long and c) irritating to people outside his office, he leaves the door wide open. This clear broach of office etiquette used to frustrate me until today when I accidentally discovered another mechanism for silence I can impose on him. By talking loudly on my mobile phone on a personal call while standing up at my desk, he will shut the door to his office. Not ask me to keep it down or even finish the conversation, which he has every right to do - but he will shut the door.
I would be in a much worse position in this world if it weren't for all the anti-conflict personalities I come into conflict with so much of the time.
posted by belle de dayjob at 6:43 am
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