You have the luxury of a closeable office door that might also serve to keep people out.
I've got a door to the office here, but:
- I'm the only one who prefers a closed door. (3 of us in one room; it used to be 4.)
- This company generally does not permit closed doors in general, unless it has a window.
- Closed doors don't really keep people out anyway.
For me though, small talk isn't really the issue - my interests don't overlap with those of many others here (no interest in sports or fantasy football, I don't drink, and I don't watch much TV at all), so most people don't stop by to chit-chat. But there's still a constant flow of work-related interruptions throughout the entire day.
I too am firmly in the "kindly leave me alone" department, but get little of it. I can still act the part of a personable and semi-sociable person. (I'd like to add that there is a lot of emphasis on the word "act" in that sentence.)
So people like to bring work-related problems to me, or have me talk to customers, or installers, or end users, or take the more technical sales calls, or talk to vendors...
Then some days I even get to work in an hour or two of actual engineering work.
For my next job, I'm thinking of acting like I'm mute. And for good measure, I'll chop off both hands so that people won't still be tempted to attempt to engage me in small talk.
Next time someone interrupts you, make a phone call from google voice to your office phone number. Your office phone rings, you say excuse me I have to take this. Pick up your phone and have an imaginary conversation. They should get the hint and leave.
Either that or let a silent one fly. Most people would leave a smelly confined space of an office.
Some people are surprisingly patient when it comes to getting nothing done. Waiting until you're done on the phone means they can then talk with you about the phonecall.
Just chalk up work conversations as work time. You dont stay later because you chit chatted during the day...noob
No, if you're seen talking to this other person, then
you are the one who needs to get back to work.
You are too valuable to be wasting time chatting. That other person is already
expected to waste time socializing because it's "just how he is," so he'll get away with it. So don't make me tell you again:
You need to stay focused on the job when you're on the clock.
That's how it goes.
Most of the old people around here are the useless employees who butt kissed their way into "management", and now dont have anything useful to do, so they spend the days walking around the hallways making idle chatter.
Or call a meeting.
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