Foo - The guy I eat lunch with

Is annoying.

So what do you all do, say for instance, if you have somebody you eat lunch with, constantly harasses you, watches you every time he comes by your cube, and if you're on the internet, makes such a huge deal about how you have nothing to do. He makes it seem like a joke, but it gets a little old. You know what, maybe I just work more efficiently than others. Maybe I do have a lighter workload than others. WHO CARES! Don't worry so much about what others are doing you a$$hat. What is it to this guy that makes him seem like he HAS to see what I'm doing. The guy doesn't even know the type of work I do... we're on totally different teams, with different managers. The only manager we have in common is the CEO. Get out of my personal space!! Anybody deal with something similar to this? I feel like I do my job to the fullest and quickest. I respond when issues arise, and take full responsability to get them resolved. I help out my coworkers when I have a chance, but can't always help them... or else I'd do their job for them. I don't have the knowledge about their applications that they have, so helping sometimes is out of the question. SO YES, I don't deny browsing the Internet for personal use while at work. You can't tell me this isn't common. BS.

One thing about this dude... he's got such a vulgar mouth while eating lunch with him and the other people he eats with. If there was a microphone hidden on our table, HE'd be the one in trouble with HR. I don't go to his cube, and tell him what he should and shouldn't be doing!!! Heck, he requested a WALL to be put up behind his cube... W>T>F is HE doing!!?? He's always stating how he "doesn't browse the internet more than 5 minutes a day". OH WELL LETS BOW DOWN TO HIM. PRAISE be to this snob. Honestly, this guy's not browsing the internet all for the wrong reasons... not to get in trouble.

Did you write this while at work?

Did you write this while at work?

Why yes... yes I did. I'm typing this at work also. How dare I. Guess I'm just lazy... my rebel self.

Hide Window Hotkey 3.1 (http://www.elongsoft.com/hidewindow/hidewindow.htm)

when he comes by your cube stand up and accidentally step on his toes and then walk away like there is something you have to do. eventually he'll get the message not to stop by your cube.

but be careful he sounds like a trouble maker who might complain over your head. you might consider doing the same thing 1st. if he's annoying you he's annoying other people

most employers have a policy that states it's OK to browse the internet during lunch and coffee breaks

most employers have a policy that states it's OK to browse the internet during lunch and coffee breaks

I'm certain I'm not the only one that's broken this rule, if not of everybody on this forum, but most here at work. I'm not worried about him "telling" on me. If he does, so be it. I can prove my worth for this company, and I can prove that his lunchroom conversations can sometimes be unethical. Especially when the group has already been told to quiet down and not talk about the content they do. It's just frustrating. Oh well... back to WORK.

You could always get one of these (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=719g8-MZ6LE) and equip it with needles and maybe some poison from a puffer fish or something.

You could always get one of these (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=719g8-MZ6LE) and equip it with needles and maybe some poison from a puffer fish or something.

poison dart frog.

Hey guyz, I'm serial. This is serial thread.

No really though... this guy has complained about somebody shaving (face) in the bathroom in the morning. He said "he's wasting company time". Talked (complained) about it for a good 5 minutes. He acts like he's a saint. Like I said before, there's a point to where you try to do the right, only out of being selfish to get something out of it. I'm sure if I'd get a raise, or promotion, he'd be all over me like white on rice, and he'd think he "deserves" it more than I. Meh... whatever. I won't complain anymore. He's left for the day. He likes to leave at 2:30 since he gets here so early (complains if he can't leave early too by the way), so he's out of my hair for now.

I don't understand why y'all eat lunch with him if he's annoying. Sit elsewhere. And if he comes by your cube, just turn to him and say "What do you need?" Be straight up with him. He's wasting company time spying on y'all.

Eventually, they all must die. Some just sooner than others.

You could probably just stop eating lunch with him, although everyone else's ideas are much more interesting.

We have a new guy who I thought was getting along great with people, then one day he mentioned that if he caught an employee surfing the web he would "fire his ass." Totally rubbed everyone the wrong way for two reasons:
1) He's a junior employee that just got hired
2) We're on salary (not hourly, no banking overtime, etc), most of us work 10-12 hours a day and more when we're busy, so we do things like read the news, online banking etc. at work on a daily basis.

He sits at a different table now and probably waits patiently for the day that he can fire all our asses.

The first thing I'd do is stay the hell away from him. Especially at lunch. Extra especially if lunch is on my personal time. And unless he's talking to me at my cubicle about a specific work issue that actually has something to do with me, I'd tell him to take a hike.

I use to work with a woman who liked to come to my work desk and complain about things that had nothing to do with work. Oh, she complained about the availability of on street parking, crowded elevators, the insoles in her shoes are made of inferior materials and are falling apart, and her boyfriend takes her for granted. I tried listening politely except her litany of complaints lasted an average of 10 minutes every time she passed my desk (several times a day). It was too much. I was getting angry looks from my supervisor who noticed the woman stopping at my desk and yapping, and the interruptions occurred when I was dealing with some difficulty. All this because I listened to her the first time she spoke to me in the coffee room when she first started working there.

I had to end the chats and the woman was pretty angry with me. She'd give me angry looks if we shared the elevator or saw each other in the coffee room. The best part was my supervisor brought the chats up in my review meeting 6 months later. Apparently the woman mentioned to her supervisor that she felt unwelcome around me. I explained the woman's list of non-work related complaining to me and my supervisor chuckled.

Avoid him like the plague.

is he your last option as a lunch partner? if so deal with it, if not kick 'em to the curb! and standing up to his bull**** remarks might help too. ;)

Tip one: Alt+Tab - switches what window is open on your screen.

Tip two: Ctrl+Tab in Firefox or IE with tabs - switches between tabs.

Tip three: If your back faces the opening of your cube, get a mirror. I for one hate when people sneak up on me, work related or not. Also keeps people from taking the slow walk by of your cube to peak at your monitors. This trick keeps everyone honest. No one lingers anymore, except this one guy who didn't know I had the mirror for almost a year. His face turned red when I told him.

The mirror I have is about 4 inches high and 12 inches long, mounted under a shelf. People figured out I had one after I turned around to greet them even if they didn't declare their presence.

Tip four: Do your job, and do it well. Not saying you're not, but if I were a supervisor, and my employee was doing a good job, I wouldn't care if he was watching porn as long as he was doing a great job.

Tip five: Maintain good relations with everyone, but stop eating lunch with him. It probably doesn't help your reputation hanging out with someone as you describe.

just get an airhorn can and beep him when he gets within 5 feet of you.

Get a taser and watch him dance on company time.

Do you work with Dwight Schrute off the office. That is what it sounds like lol. But any who just watch your back for this jerk.

On his next visit, say "Go away, *******", or "F-off, loser", and say it dismissively. He'll get the message. He's what's called a bully, I would recommend standing up to him, sooner than later.

I think either one of both of you will eventually be fired. Or your company will be put out of business by the competition, who isn't putting up with this kind of crap.

Sorry, maybe I had a bad day, but that's how I think it really is.

poison dart frog.

Or a poision fart dog....

Some people are a-holes on purpose. I worked with a guy who told me he acts like a jerk because it makes people not want to deal with him, then he gets his way. He was very good at it. Everyone hated him.

I say you take your red stapler and leave, setting fire to the place on the way out the door.

Every single time he comes your way, you say in a surly voice: "WHAT?" When he starts to preach about what others are doing, just say,"CAN IT." Sooner or later, he'll get so frustrated, he'll detour halfway around the building to avoid you.

I have a reputation at work for having a bit of a 'personality', some folks are nervous about dealing with me; I'll make them laugh, they'll relax, try to take liberties with our 'friendship', and I'll snap them back like they're rubber-banded. As a result of most people not sure how to take me, I can accomplish a lot of this with facial expressions now.

What I won't do for entertainment....

headphones. over ear types. you don't even have to plug them in, just tuck the cord in your pocket. i used to be an intern, and this kept the other interns from stopping to chat while i was working on something. if they're good headphones, they might even block out some external noises, letting you concentrate on work! ;)

Show him this thread.

The next time he stops by and harasses you, mention that he sure seems to have a lot of spare time to check up on what other people are doing.

And when he uses foul language in the lunchroom, ask him if he's familiar with your company HR policies on professional behavior at the office.

office romance?

blanket party.

Tip one: Alt+Tab - switches what window is open on your screen.

Tip two: Ctrl+Tab in Firefox or IE with tabs - switches between tabs.

Tip three: If your back faces the opening of your cube, get a mirror. I for one hate when people sneak up on me, work related or not. Also keeps people from taking the slow walk by of your cube to peak at your monitors. This trick keeps everyone honest. No one lingers anymore, except this one guy who didn't know I had the mirror for almost a year. His face turned red when I told him.

The mirror I have is about 4 inches high and 12 inches long, mounted under a shelf. People figured out I had one after I turned around to greet them even if they didn't declare their presence.

Tip four: Do your job, and do it well. Not saying you're not, but if I were a supervisor, and my employee was doing a good job, I wouldn't care if he was watching porn as long as he was doing a great job.

Tip five: Maintain good relations with everyone, but stop eating lunch with him. It probably doesn't help your reputation hanging out with someone as you describe.

Great points! I'd say I agree with all of them. Tip five is also something I'm worried about, especially after about 3 weeks ago a company wide email was sent out to the managers that they need to express to their employees about correct & ethical "water cooler talk".

pitcher or catcher Kevmk?

Have you tried talking to this guy yet? Maybe he doesn't know he's irritating because no one ever told him. I didn't know till the wife said something, now I less of a DB than ever.

I worked with a guy a few years ago that was such an annoying doosh I literally had to take him aside and offer to whip his ass, and that's really not my 1st, 2nd or even 3rd method of conflict resolution, generally. He was so full of **** and so inordinately back-biting, and he pestered me to tell him my religion, then once I told him I was atheist he went and told everyone at work, all of whom were super-Christian, and it really affected my peace of mind while I was on the job, blah blah blah, this guy was truly an awful human being. I expect a certain tolerable amount of childishness and drama at work, but this guy went well above and beyond the call of duty.



Also, ex-Marines aren't so big and tough and full of bluster once you call them out like a bytch.

I think that the best course of action is to start your own business, and live well. When you hire people, institute a no-******** policy, make sure it is mentioned when hiring, and stick to it. People tend to do a good job if they don't have to work with any ********.