[audreyj]

Help! A co-worker, who happens to be the department “golden child,” moved into the cubicle next to mine, and her work habits and manners (or lack of them) are very distracting. She holds very loud telephone conversations that I can’t help but overhear; instead of calling the person who sits in the cubicle across the aisle from me or getting up and walking to that person’s cubicle, she raises her voice over the top of my cubicle to get the other person’s attention. She has also been known to eavesdrop on my conversations and either invites herself into them or makes comments later about what she has overheard. She chews her gum loud enough for me to hear and snaps it repeatedly.

I realize cube farms are not conducive to maintaining one’s privacy, but I always thought proper cubicle etiquette meant that you 1) do what you can to keep your conversations from being obtrusive to your office mates; 2) pretend you don’t hear another person’s conversation; 3) refrain from raising your voice in the office (unless it’s an emergency situation); and 4) never, ever snap your gum in public.

I have been resorting to listening to my iPod at a low volume (so I still hear people who need to speak to me and so I still hear my telephone ring). Moving to another cubicle is not a solution as there isn’t one available.

Do I approach this person directly? If so, what do I say and how do I say it? Or do I speak with my manager about this?

Any advice is most appreciated.

[Lauren Elder]

Hi audreyj,

That sounds like a tough (and annoying!) situation. We actually have a great article on OA about cube etiquette.
You'll notice quite a few people started a discussion around the topic, so feel free to refer to their suggestions and the accompanying article here:
http://www.officearrow.com/forums/ma...life-cube.html

Hope it helps!