Sharing an Office

03 Jul 2013 - 9 comments | Translate title into English

I share an office.

I share an office with a hot house orchid who I swear has no blood. Everyone in the room will be hot, and the orchid has so many clothes on and complains of being cold.

I share an office with a giggler. Good grief we’re all adults and one of them giggles on the phone.

I share an office with someone who treats the room as their own personal takeaway. Every single day they bring in food reeking of garlic, and then had the temerity to complain today that someone else’s lunch had raw onion in it. You couldn’t make it up!

I share an office with someone who lets the door slam behind them every single time they enter or leave the room. One day, they let it slam so often that I literally had a headache and in the end I jammed the door open, which the orchid doesn’t like obviously.

I like my colleagues, I really do, but sharing an office really does suck.

I had my own office for a glorious year. The view was terrible, but it was mine. I had a window I could open – I’m a fresh air fiend. I could have the light on if I wanted – I have a ‘bad’ eye so often need the light on so I can actually see what I’m doing without straining my eyes. I could have the radio on if I wanted.

Now I have to ask permission to have the light on, or the window open and I hate it. It rebels against the whole point of being a grown up. I never ever voice these thoughts by the way, and I’m sure my colleagues love sharing with me too… Insert emoticon of man rolling on floor laughing :))

9 comments - The latest ones

Bee Orchid

We number between 4 and 6. 4 regulars, and 2 that work elsewhere some days. I'm sure some hate that I like fresh air, or that I have loads of 'stuff' in my work area lol. I also hog the electrical sockets sometimes so I can recharge equipment.

11 years ago.

Mickey fez

I never worked in an office so I haven't experienced the horrors, most annoying I would think

11 years ago.

Jenny McIntyre ^club

I haven't worked in an office with more than one other person in it. I would've found it really hard to try and be comfortable yet be considerate to others. I love fresh air too by the way, I can't stand stuffy rooms at all. Slamming doors would drive me to distraction within a nanosecond, so that would be sorted straight away with insisting one of those thingys they put ontop of doors which makes it close it slowly. Now the giggler wouldn't be as bad as the others but it would get quite annoying I suppose after a while. As for the eater of garlic!!!!!!!!!!!! No way could I cope with that. I suppose you could always say that if he insists on eating in the office, then it shouldn't be anything with a pungent odour, or else you all bring in smelly stuff!!!!

Good luck - reading this makes me so happy that I'm retired and only have my own company to complain about!!

11 years ago.

Bee Orchid

I'm counting the years Jenny! lol

Thanks for comments.

11 years ago.

Stormlizard ^club

Unitil I began running my own business I usually worked in Labs with four or less people, I did have one job in UK where the whole company used one large "Open plan office" shared by Technical authors, technical illustrators, tracers typists and designers. Food was not allowed at all but I must say it was akin to working in a Kindergarten, rubber bands, paper airplanes and the like often filled the air. There was not anyone below the age of twenty three employed, the oldest was over 60.

11 years ago. Edited 11 years ago.

Bee Orchid

Good grief Storm. Sounds like some I know... In some ways open plan is better because you are more aware that others can be affected by your actions. Sharing a smallish room with 5 others is sometimes too much to bear. Luckily I have other places that I can escape to now and again :)

11 years ago.

Stormlizard ^club has replied to Bee Orchid

Open plan was new in UK at that time, there were three small offices on one side, the boss, the office manager and their shared secretary, most of the time the boss was out visiting.
Several of us "group leaders" often had to go out visiting other companies to gather special info, on return we could expect to find that one of the other kids had been drawing "Cartoons" on our work. The 25 people were devided into 3 groups, each dealing with one major project, mine was heavy radar (Early warning systems) for NATO.
I guess the "Kindergarten attitude" was a way of relaxation in what was a rather serious job.

11 years ago.

Bee Orchid

Definitely sounds like a serious job! Impressive.

11 years ago.

Stormlizard ^club has replied to Bee Orchid

Yes, it was very serious. I'd been "Head hunted" from Decca Radar.

11 years ago.

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Sharing an Office