Dear OD Chatter,

I have enjoyed your column for its entertainment value.  My coworkers and I enjoy answering the questions and then checking your answer.  I never thought I’d have an actual question of my own.

I have been with my company for way over 10 years.  I have grown in responsibility but not in a straight line, more of jumping here and there but that’s fine with me.  My question is about dealing with an office manager who likes to be the center of attention.  She will speak very loudly, make noises, and just be disruptive to the office in general.  We work in sectioned offices and our walls are only slightly higher than our desktops – sound travels.

In my current role, I am working with numbers and details so the distractions cause me to spend more time getting my job done.  This means that I work late some nights to complete everything so the work doesn’t backup.

Coworkers complain about the noise and about her negativity, but nobody in management seems to notice.  In the past, management would have said something to tone her down but not now.

The office manager sets the culture in our office and it is changing for the worst.  Several of us have mentioned it to HR and to our Assistant General Manager but, no change.  Any ideas for us?

Signed, Bunch of Us, Honey Brook, PA

Dear Bunch of Us,

Thank you for your commitment to OD Chatter.  It is for readers like you and your coworkers that we continue to publish this free advice column.  I am glad it brings smiles to your office!

I am wondering if your Office Manager is new in her position or new to your company.  You mention how the noise was handled ‘in the past’ so I am wondering.

The blindness that most employees have toward other employees allows unanswered questions to bug us and disrupt business.  In this case, the question is why does management allow her to be so loud?

The issue is in trying to see what is happening behind the scenes in the workday worlds of both your office manager and your leadership team members.  This is a process called “systems sight”.  Once you know how to do this, it allows you to see countless possibilities and exert more understanding.  At minimum, systems sight will give you the tools that allow you to problem shoot with much more accuracy.

There may be countless reasons why your management team allows this to continue.  It could be that she has a naturally loud voice, or a medical reason for the volume of her voice.  Perhaps it took a long time to recruit her and your management team has decided to look the other way or maybe she does a great job in all of the other areas of her work.

You could drop suggestions to your management team to create quite zones, or loud zones where people can talk, and the use of noise-absorbing materials to help keep open offices quieter.

Normally I would have suggested that you have a conversation with your Office Manager collaboratively around anything she needs from you (to help her do her job) and opening the door for you to discuss what you need from her to help you do your job.

However, since you have already complained to your management team and to HR, it is time to look the other way.  Try to find a resolution to the problem you have with the noise by seeking a way to buffer yourself so you can concentrate on your numbers and details.  Take your suggestions to HR and partner with them to find a solution that will work for you and for the office.  Be open to suggestions including the use of headphones.

Thank you for trusting OD Chatter with your workplace related questions!

OD Chatter

OD Chatter (www.odchatter.com) is written by Debra Dee Bradford, CHRO of ODL Business Partners, Inc. (www.odlbp.com) an HR consulting firm specializing in organizational development and leadership training. To reach Debra, submit questions, or make comments please email dbradford@odlbp.com.