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Infuriating coworker takes speakerphone calls in open office

People who are disruptive and noisy in open spaces where other people are trying to enjoy the peace really are just something else—aren't they? You almost wish that you were as completely and blissfully unaware and uncaring of what other people think as they are. It certainly would make life a lot easier… 

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Posted by Brad Dickson
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  • But every time you come across someone listening to a Bluetooth speaker out loud on public transportation or doom-scrolling TikTok with their phone at full volume at the airport gate, you can't help but wonder what in the heck they're thinking. The reality is that they probably are just that unaware, or they're asking for attention, hoping to create a confrontation with their antisocial behavior. The same goes for people who elect to have loud phone conversations at full blast on speaker in an open-plan office. Like, they invented conference rooms and headphones for a reason, and if neither of those is immediately available, the phone was originally designed to be held up to your ear for a gosh darn reason.

    This worker shared their mounting frustration with their coworker's insistence on talking on the phone, on speaker, in their open plan office, sparking conversation about the antisocial practice and the drawbacks of open plan offices in general, some commenters even shared petty solutions for solving the problem.

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  • 1
    Facial expression - "Co-worker only uses speaker phone and expects us to be quiet." NI
    Via Thom Holmes
  • 2
    Font - Posted by u/JoeJoe54 Co-worker only uses speaker phone and expects us to be quiet So, we used to be in separate cubicles, but recently our company changed the layout and there's 5 of us sharing one small area, we call them bull pens. In my bull pen one of my co-workers only uses his speaker phone, he never picks up the handset. This wouldn't
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 3
    Font - be too much of an issue, except when he joins online meetings he still uses the speaker and expects everyone around him to be dead silent. I have my own work to do, and it usually involves discussing some matters with other co-workers. Myself and others in my pen have tried telling him to simply use the handset instead, but he insists that it is "a respect thing" and we should be silent. Is there any ideas on how to solve this? Someone had an idea of printing off phone etiquette panels an
    Via u/JoeJoe54
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  • 4
    Font - One Hedgehog6055 Ignore him and talk to your coworker when he joins a meeting. 33 Reply Share
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 5
    Font - TywinShitsGold Talk to the supervisor. Yours or his. That is asinine behavior. Suggest they get him a headset or headphones. It's a respect thing, he's in the meeting he has to respect everyone else getting their work done. Head/hand set or he books a breakout room. Full stop. Reply Share 823 BeneficialName9863 Yeh, that boy ain't right! 96 Reply Share ●●●
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 6
    Font - YellowBeastJeep It absolutely is a "respect thing", and your coworker has none for the people in your bullpen. 341 Reply Share Atheist Alex C Exactly. Talk about an absolute lack of self-awareness. 40 Reply Share
    Via u/JoeJoe54
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  • 7
    Font - WholeEvening842. Keep talking normally. He can't interrupt your business with his. Respect is a two way street. Reply Share 203 lozy_xx Exactly this 4 Reply Share ●●●
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 8
    Font - da_reddit_reader Get on a meeting with the other 3 colleagues, talking amongst yourselves on a web meeting, out loud while the 5th coworker is on a meeting. 112 Reply Share
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 9
    Font - LavenderAutist Change the ring tone on your phone to a toilet flushing and make sure you get calls during their phone calls? 151 Reply Share Guilt Edge You are the perfect amount of evil.. 43 Reply Share ●●●
    Via u/JoeJoe54
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  • 10
    Font - K bopperbopper "Ah, you have that backwards. It is respectful not to use your speakerphone when we are all right here. That is why the company bought us headsets. Perhaps you need to take your call elsewhere." 58 Reply Share
    Via u/JoeJoe54
  • 11
    Font - Weird Tolkienish_Fig Open plan office? Dumbest thing ever. 38 Reply Share Disastrous_Ad_4149 I turned down a job offer because of it. 16 ●●● Reply Share
    Via u/JoeJoe54

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