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Old 10-21-2011, 08:13 PM
 
801 posts, read 1,098,976 times
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I sit in a large cube shaped area where there are four corner cubicles - all open to each other.

A lady was moved into my area from another dept where they claim to have run out of space, even though they are using one cube just for storage. Anyway, the lady chews gum constantly and sometimes has these gum cracking binges. I don't know what I'm going to do because her loud gum chewing is going to either drive me insane or out the door.

She has a very irritable personality and I wouldn't dare say anything about it to her. I am now wearing my headphones constantly even when I mostly do not want to listen to music.

Should I go to my boss about this or just suffer?
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Old 10-21-2011, 08:16 PM
 
Location: SW Missouri
15,853 posts, read 34,997,155 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perryview22 View Post
I sit in a large cube shaped area where there are four corner cubicles - all open to each other.

A lady was moved into my area from another dept where they claim to have run out of space, even though they are using one cube just for storage. Anyway, the lady chews gum constantly and sometimes has these gum cracking binges. I don't know what I'm going to do because her loud gum chewing is going to either drive me insane or out the door.

She has a very irritable personality and I wouldn't dare say anything about it to her. I am now wearing my headphones constantly even when I mostly do not want to listen to music.

Should I go to my boss about this or just suffer?
Drop a couple of wads of well-chewed bubble gum outside the bosses office doorway. Once he steps on them and smears it half way down the hall he will ban gum chewing, maybe.

20yrsinBranson
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Old 10-21-2011, 08:27 PM
 
Location: 112 Ocean Avenue
5,706 posts, read 9,572,090 times
Reputation: 8932
Print a copy of this and set it on her desk when she goes to the can.

http://cocoa-heaven.com/wp-content/u...um-300x225.jpg
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Old 10-21-2011, 08:32 PM
 
1,595 posts, read 2,753,834 times
Reputation: 849
I used to work with a woman who did the same thing. She not only chewed loud but that cracking the gum inside the side of her mouth would drive people nuts. It's very distracting and interferes with work, especially when it's all day long and constant.

you do what 20yrsinBranson suggested but make sure no one sees you and you don't get caught on video/security camera if there is one.

I would talk to my supervisor/employer on the side and ask if they have any suggestions as to how to get her to stop. I would also let them know I chose not to ask her to stop so as not to upset her due to her sort of brassy personality and I don't want to do anything to prevent us from getting along. Another words I don't want to get into a fight. Perhaps there is some sort of written guideline for office behavior and little habits that drive co-workers up a wall that are not permitted. Most often the Supervisors and employers know more rules that the employees don't know, which all should know to keep peace. I truthfully find cublicles cause more problems than not. They give employees way too much privacy where they can screw off anytime they want and almost never get caught, and do nothing to help co-workers get along.
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Old 10-22-2011, 07:16 AM
 
Location: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
24,665 posts, read 69,418,810 times
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I feel your pain as this is a habit which also drives me totally up the wall. Normally quite tolerant, standing in line next to someone cracking and snapping gum quickly stirs up vivid fantasies of mutilation, destruction and death ...

In my opinion you should definitely talk to your supervisor and if an informal chat gets sloughed off I would take the matter to a higher level and put it in writing with a copy to the supervisor. Good luck!
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Old 10-22-2011, 07:32 AM
 
Location: NJ
17,574 posts, read 45,968,514 times
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Tell your supervisor. That's why they get paid the big bucks.
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Old 10-22-2011, 08:42 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,407,924 times
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No, don't first talk to your supervisor. (If I was your supervisor the first thing I would ask is whether you spoke with her first.) Supervisors have bigger things on their mind.

Handle it at the lowest level first. Speak to her in a non-confrontational way; In a way you would want to be spoken to if you unknowingly did something that bugged people.

If she still refuses (and I don't mean accidentally forgetting to quiet down - which is understandable - we've all done it), then talk to the supervisor.
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Old 10-22-2011, 10:04 PM
 
1,595 posts, read 2,753,834 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
No, don't first talk to your supervisor. (If I was your supervisor the first thing I would ask is whether you spoke with her first.) Supervisors have bigger things on their mind.

Handle it at the lowest level first. Speak to her in a non-confrontational way; In a way you would want to be spoken to if you unknowingly did something that bugged people.

If she still refuses (and I don't mean accidentally forgetting to quiet down - which is understandable - we've all done it), then talk to the supervisor.

That's good advice except that if she doesn't stop and not by accident now she knows who put in the complaint, and may very well retaliate. Of course not right away so as not to give herself away to doing that to her supervisor.
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:36 AM
 
Location: St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
24,665 posts, read 69,418,810 times
Reputation: 26726
Quote:
Originally Posted by cantthinkofaname View Post
That's good advice except that if she doesn't stop and not by accident now she knows who put in the complaint, and may very well retaliate.
I agree. Under normal circumstances I would absolutely suggest that the OP quietly talk to the woman first but opted for the supervisor because she said, "She has a very irritable personality and I wouldn't dare say anything about it to her."
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:38 AM
 
Location: Southern NC
2,203 posts, read 5,063,764 times
Reputation: 3832
I would put an anonymous note on her desk to let her know it's annoying the other workers.
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