Written by 
If you don’t already know, I’m a software engineer consultant. I typically am placed at a clients’ office for three or more months at a time and typically feel like a regular employee. Being a consultant, I must accept the environment and working conditions as they are given unless of course, they are hazardous to my well-being. I’m beginning to wonder about the hazard level at my current client.
My client built out some pretty nice offices in a foundry that went out of business many years back. The building has some strange space configurations given this history and not every desk has the best view or alignment with bathroom facilities, break rooms, etc. My desk happens to be located right on a main walkway between two of the buildings this office covers. A fairly wide hallway/breezeway is about 20 feet from my desk and has a number of break room tables located in that walkway. During lunch, there is a group of ladies who get together and have a jolly old time.
They cackle like hens and it’s maddening.
I’m all for a stress-relieving lunch, but do they realize they’re smack in the middle of a business? The tall ceilings lend themselves to horrendous echoes and when all five of them get wound up in their air-raid siren guffaw, I nearly lose it. Being a consultant, I have to maintain a level of acceptance of the client, even if I don’t work with them. However, I think I will print a small sign up saying “Please be mindful – voices carry!” or something neutral of the sort. They have plastic sign holders for announcements and it would look professional enough. But a part of me wants to throw my desk chair at them. It doesn’t help when I have a migraine and music hurts my ears. I should record them sometime so you can get the full effect.
