Talkative co-worker
I need your advice please! I love my job, but we recently got a senior employee transferred here from a different office. His wife left him and he moved here not knowing anyone in this city. I get it that he’s lonely, but it’s not my job to fill any emptiness. I’m very busy and always working/catching up. I work at the front desk and he comes and stands in front of my desk every 30 minutes to every few hours. He’ll come tell me what he’s about to email me, then after sending the email, he comes to my desk to summarize what we just talked about. Interrupts any and ALL conversations, then takes over the convo and makes it about himself. He talks ridiculously loud.. (You can hear him from the other side of the building) His regular voice is a normal person shouting. We had to get a sound machine because clients were complaining about him yelling in the background. He screeches and makes his voice louder if you aren't paying attention. So, it makes it impossible to work and ignore him if he’s yelling and screeching in front of me. Also, repeats stories when he runs out of things to talk about!! I have all his stories memorized. I asked my boss what to do get him to leave me alone. He said to just cut him off and tell him you have to get back work. I’ve done that many times. Do I need to do this 10x a day every day? I should also mention I’m horrible at confrontation. He’s a higher up, but not my boss. He’s good friends with the owners of the company and I don’t want him talking badly about me to them. Many people have asked that he doesn’t come in their office anymore. I’m realizing now that they dumped him on us. Everyone that he talks to is always slowly backing away and he’s not getting the hint. I’m at the front desk and can’t shut my door like everyone else does. I always avoid eye contact and try to look as busy as possible. Sometimes I HIDE when I see him. I barely respond to what he’s saying besides yeah, ok, no, idk…. It baffles me that you would want to interact with me if I’m giving little to no response and never give eye contact. It’s been almost a year of this and my anxiety is so high that my love for this job is fading away and I’m no longer fun and bubbly at work.