I have a VERY difficut coworker...Help?

Question

He talks to himself, takes up 95% of our office, he's very offensive and rude and talks bad about other people CONSTANTLY. He plays loud music and does NOTHING productive all day, yet complains about how hard his job is. He always makes it a point to call OUR office, HIS office. My desk faces a wall, and I hate it. But he won't move any of his c**p so that I have room to move my desk.. One of my superiors in the office has said to move it while he's out... I don't know if this will create conflict or hostility..What should I do? HELP

Answer 1

that would be a good idea but then when he comes back he will be all offended and stuff. you don't want to do it behind his back or else he will think you fear him or something

so what i would do is get his stuff that are on your desk and tell him that you are placing all of his stuff on a box and put it on his desk or if you don't want to do it tell him then if he does not move them, then take it and put it in the box and that's all. now if he tries to create something about this then tell your supervisor. you should not worry since your supervisor knows how he is and he has even told you to do it when he is not there.  

Answer 2

if your supervisor said move it - he has no reason to be mad at you - just refer him to the supervisor or just tell the idiot to shut his pie-hole and stop taking up more room than he is entitled to and stop his constant whining - tell him he sounds like a 3 year old and get the boss to do something about the loud music -all of you get together  and tell the boss it is very distracting and you can't hear people on the phone or concentrate - tell him I'll kick his @ss if he doesn't knock it off - I've got NOTHING to lose. If he has stuff on the floor that prevents you from moving your desk - move it UNDER HIS desk

Answer 3

Would your supervisor consider moving you somewhere else?  

I wouldn't move his stuff when he is not there - you wouldn't want that done to you.  Is it possible to ask him to help you move your desk so that you get a better view (and therefore invite the need to move some of the c**p).  Sounds like communication might be in order.

If he is badmouthing other people constantly, and you find it offensive and harassing, go to see HR and see if they can get you moved.  For example, if he makes remarks on people's race, gender, size, etc., that is a form of harassment and you don't have to take it.  It will, however, make life unpleasant if all they do is to tell him to knock it off.

Answer 4

wow. And I thought I had it bad. if other people feel the same way, you should talk to a manager that you all collectively feel he needs to get his act together. That he is insulting (talking bad about others), arrogant, and is disrupting your work space. I would move his stuff, and it probably will create conflict, and if he says anything, say well I need to move my stuff and you refused to help. sorry. good luck =]

Answer 5

tell all this to your boss. doing something crazy like moving all of his stuff when he's gone won't do anything but cause more conflict. let a manager, someone in charge of hiring and firing, get involved so that they can handle it in a professional way.

you know you love me. xoxo, gossip girl ;)

Answer 6

Lauren F is right  

Answer 7

If your boss said to move the desk while he is out, MOVE THE DESK. Just be extra messy before you actually move it; coffee cups, excess paper, lots of folders, purposely sloppy. When you make the move do your best to keep your coworkers stuff on top of his desk in the same order when you move it so it is less offensive for him. Then ONLY IF HE ASKS- you can say, " I was just following xyz orders and cleaning up / reorganizing my office space so I can work more efficiently."   It makes it sound like you got into trouble- which you didn't but if your co-worker has half a brain he will get the hint and possibly clean his own space.

Apparently you have a dominant coworker and if you act like a silent doormat he will walk all over you. Although you need to remain a team player, you can limit your exposure to him. When he leaves for the day move your desk like you were told but plan it out and have all your stuff ready to go. You may need to invest in a screen / divider, put it between your desk and his, make sure the desks are face to face and push them together to create some kind of divide. Buy a large but not too bushy plant to also place on the side of the desk to create a divide between your desk and his. Purchase a small stereo yourself with a headset- that way you can tune him out when he is being obnoxious and he can have his space AND you can have your space.  Also, small fans or the free standing ones work wonders for eliminating excess noise ;) and then you can blame it on being hot. In winter- get a heater. lol    

Remain polite but BRIEF when speaking with him: Good Morning, Afternoon etc and then GET BUSY.  Avoid having conversations with him at the cooler and the lunch room... GET BUSY. Even if you have to fake it. Excuse yourself, go to the bathroom, take a walk, put on your headphones but avoid him as much as possible.  Only engage him over business, if he starts complaining cut him off and say " I need to you to focus on xyz or speak with xyz directly to clean it up because all of your complaining does not solve anything."  Every time he complains- you either repeat the above phrase or excuse yourself and GET BUSY until it sinks in. If you really want to limit your exposure to him -but you have to work together on projects- then send him an email to set up a regular weekly touch base meeting, once a week for thirty minutes on Monday or Tuesday. This forces you two to focus on business only and limits your exposure to his negative chatter. Just remember, be polite, be a team player, keep your sense of humor, always be the diplomatic one- especially in front of the boss and GET BUSY.  The less "personal conversation / gossip" time you have with him or spend listening to him, the better. By creating your own space, you can stop being concerned with "his poor performance" and focus on your own so you can get a raise or a promotion.