Public Goods

For those of you have your own offices, be very grateful. When I started my lovely job, I was blessed with my own space with my own door. I may have complained about not having a window, but little did I know how bad it could get. About 6 months after I started my job, my division of my department was moved to another part of the buiding. Now, I have still have no window, nor my own door. While I kind of enjoy the comradery, I am encountering numerous issues that I never dreamed would hinder me from my duties. First of all, my coworkers desparately need to be aware of sound. When you have no walls, one person can make your entire day miserable by merely speaking. Have people heard on inside voices??? More on that line, keep your music down. My supervisor that sits directly across from me luckily has similar taste in tunes and keeps his volume at a respectful level. A previous co-worker did not. Let's just say that I am not sad to see her go. Finally, speakerphone. You should never use it unless more that one employee is being included in the convo. Otherwise, pick up the receiver and stop being lazy because it is just distracting everyone else.

Next, temperature control. We just had a new administrative assistant move down to our end. She gets cold--alot. And, honestly, I cannot blame her. It is cold in our office right now. However, three of us in the immediate vicinity wear contacts. Heat=dry eyes. Dry eyes mean I can't stare at my computer for long. Not being able to look at the computer means I may have difficulty finishing my work. That just stresses me out. Our air is everyone's air in cube world. Just like with the noise, you have to be respectful. But my question is, when is it okay to call someone out on their office wrongdoings with out becoming the office bitch? Until I figure that out, I will just suffer in silence (with a my eyes shut and earplugs in).