DEAR ABBY: I work with a team of 10 individuals in an open cubicle situation in customer service, so we have periods of downtime during the course of the day.
We have two team members who cannot be quiet! They have an opinion about everything and anything, and ramble on without regard to anyone's privacy. If no one is talking to them, they stand and strike up a conversation without encouragement, leaving the rest of us to listen to them babble on and on.
Since I work on creative writing projects, or read books during our slack periods, I feel uncomfortable complaining about them because they are not interfering with my work for the company. I brought this to our supervisor's attention and she was unwilling to intervene. I tried asking the whole team in a nice way to quiet down and preserve a more professional environment, but the talk continues. How can I make these guys get the message: "Say what you have to say, keep it short, then sit down and be quiet"? -- GOING CRAZY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO
DEAR GOING CRAZY: Since your supervisor declined to intervene, bring headphones to work and wear them during your downtime. (Whether or not sound is coming out is your business.) People whose main entertainment is hearing themselves talk are usually unable to believe that everyone around them isn't fascinated by their chatter.