Don't Poke the Bear

I concentrate better when it is quiet. Therefore, I am amazed that I get any work done at all some days.

I share my office with 1.5 coworkers, the network printer, the copier, and the fax machine. My office also happens to be the entrance to Boss's office. That means it is impossible for me to shut the door because there is always someone who needs access to something in the room. Naturally, the more important or timely my task, the more distractions there are behind me (or the louder they are). On my more stressful days, I want to stick a sign on the back of my chair that reads, "Don't poke the bear."

On Monday, I poked back -- and I think I got away with it.

A management team meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. every Monday. This Monday, no one showed up, so I assumed it was cancelled. At 9:30, Ob and his equally bad half walked in, but I didn't think anything of it, as they come and go all the time. At some point, Worker Bee also arrived, but I didn't notice because he's generally quiet. At 9:45, Boss, his usual, boisterous self, sat down and told me that what I was working on wasn't important and that I should listen to him.

"Oh, are we having a meeting?" I asked. (I was already irritated by the noise and Boss's attitude, so I decided to play with them.) "Yes. It's 9:30.... Well, it's 9:45. Didn't anyone tell you?" Of course not. Four managers in the room with me, and they all knew the meeting had been postponed, but could one of them bother to inform me, the final member of the "team"?

Boss couldn't argue with my simple and clear-cut "no", so he tried another route. "Well, didn't you think we were having a meeting since everyone's here?" I replied, "No, because people walk in and out of here, holding conversations, all the time."

Suitably cowed, Boss informed me that he was about to start the meeting and would like me involved.