Ask a Manager

Remember the person irritated by her coworker who constantly interrupted any conversation she was having with their boss?

Here’s her update:

In April I sent a question about a coworker who would butt in and take over any conversation I was having with our supervisor. You were very soothing; you assured me I was not being childish for being irritated and suggested I address it head-on. I did try the nice-but-firm “Thank you, but I really need Fred’s take on this” and it worked somewhat.

What worked even better was bringing a chair over to Fred’s cubicle. Then we could murmur about timesheets to our hearts’ content. In order for my coworker to join, he’d have to get up from his desk, walk over, figure out what we’re talking about, and launch a 10-minute monologue. Which he still did sometimes, but it slowed him down.

But he’s still pretty much a doofus. Oh well.

Thank you!