How to Deal with Chatty Colleagues

You have mountains of work to do, a deadline to catch up on and yet your colleague can't take the hint to stop chatting. It was fun for a while, and taking breaks from work is harmless. But, what if your chatty colleagues take too much of your time and it is starting to impede your performance? What can you do to handle this situation?

The universal way to imply that you do not want to be disturbed is to wear a headphone. In fact, you do not need to listen to anything. Naturally, make sure that your headphones are easy to spot, such as a big pair of over-the-ear headphones. The headphones will not only dampen the office noise, but it will serve as a visible sign that you are not open for engagement.

What if your chatty colleague also disturbs you even when you work remotely? In this case, use status or emoji to indicate that you are busy or not open for conversation. You can also write an away message for others to know that you are not available at the moment. Turning off your notification is also a way to go when you want to focus on your work.

Meanwhile, if your colleague is talking about a work-related issue, you can schedule a meeting. With a planned meeting, you can sum up the conversation with your colleagues in a more focused manner. However, suppose your colleague chooses to not schedule the said meeting. In that case, it just means that the conversation is not essential, and you can get out of it.

As your last resort, you can speak to your manager or HR. If you consider your colleague's chattiness may not only affect your performance but others as well, you can definitely raise this issue with your superior. Nevertheless, it is best if you can mitigate the situation by yourself before bringing up the problem to your manager or HR.

Chatting with your colleague promotes bonding, and it is a surefire way to improve your work morale. Small talk is a vital ice breaker in knowing a person, therefore do not shrug it off entirely.