Shut Up, Talking Coworker

Posted by Melissa Dylan Apr 8, 2006

I once worked with a woman I'll call Norma. Norma was fond of reporting plots of the latest Buffy episode in great detail, often while I was trying to get other things done. She was immune to hints: mention a headache and she'd continue in a whisper. Complain about deadlines and she'd launch into a 10-minute diatribe about how swamped she is. Rather than learn more than I ever wanted to know about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I resorted to a number of tricks to get rid of her. Check out the latest article, Chatterbox Coworkers, to read more.

One tactic that didn't make the article but warrants a mention is flatulence. Drop well-timed silent-but-deadly and you'll be surprised how quickly the chatterbox flees to the safety of her own cubicle.

My next article will tackle how to get your spouse to leave you alone while you're writing articles about how to get co-workers to leave you alone. But I haven't figured out the answer, yet.