Snapping Gum

[Deanna]

I'm not sure if this is a very professional way to handle it, but if you have the option of dialing up her voice mail without the phone ringing, you could then hold up your handset to record her gum popping. Maybe when she hears how annoying it really is she'll stop.

[sbctwin]

I am not one for confrontation, but that would drive me up a wall . I can't stand it when people do disgusting things like that...it is like someone dragging their fingernails on a chalk board. I must be super sensitive to stuff like that. I have had to ask a few cube mates to either get a set of headphones when listening to music or offer them an extra set I keep at my desk. I really do run away from confrontation, but there are times that something must be said. Sometimes, though, I can't bring myself to say anything when something annoys me and so I 'make a scene' at my desk by rattling and banging things. Very passive aggressive

[northstar]

Ummm, I had a coworker at whom I'd throw chocolate over the cube wall.

Has anyone else said anything to her?

If it keeps up, can you request to move your desk away from her? It would drive me NUTS!!!

[mtbdarby]

After I read this I spit my gum out

I always snap my gum when I have it, it's almost an unconscience nervous thing I do like pick at my fingernails. But my jaws get tired quick and I spit it out. If she's like me and you've only mentioned it once she's probably forgetting it because she's concentrating on work and doing it unconsciencously. I'd try Tuckerville's suggestion so she thinks of it.

Then throw a cushball/stressball at her if she forgets Good luck!

[li10up]

Thanks for the suggestions. The intraoffice dynamics here are very strained. Half of the people are at war with at least one other person. People here are quite the backstabbers/gossipers. That's why I've always kept my distance...too much drama. But that just seems to have put me in the catagory of "outsider". I'm one of only 3 supervisors and I think I have the reputation of being the hard@$$. That's why I don't want to strain the one decent relationship I have. Oh well...chalk one more up for me in the b*tch column. It's kind of funny though....I'm not "friends" with anyone yet I have a good "working" relationship with all of them. Ugh!

[lauraelmore1033]

Gum snapping is a guilty pleasure of mine which I only indulge in when I am alone--but sometimes I forget to stop when I am not alone. Even so, it drives me crazy when other people do it and I do not hesitate to spit out the gum when someone calls attention to it. I think you would have to be totally clueless or a little hostile to continue snapping away when someone has said something.

[li10up]

Here we go again. Another office mate has been popping her gum for the last couple of weeks too. It's like they alternate days. I just went to the other one and said, "I don't want to be rude but I can hear your gum popping all the way down the hall. Is there any way you can stop?" She told me that she has quit smoking (that was like a year ago) and is trying to lose weight so she basically needs to pop her gum - it relaxes her. She told me to just close her door. I can still hear her though!

What is the world coming to when we don't even have common courtesy anymore? My parents taught me to not snap my gum when I was 4!

What are you supposed to do when you politely ask someone to stop doing something that is impolite but they don't care and keep on doing it?

I don't think the suggestions given here previously will work. I told the boss that I said something to the both of them but he just got a panicked look on his face - like he was afraid I was going to ask him to do something about it - he doesn't like confrontation at all.

I know others don't like it but everyone is afraid to say anything.

I'm starting to hate this place!