why is it that people who work in cubicles are nosy? people in my office tend to stare into other people's cubicles when they walk by. i have caught several people spying on me over the past few days and it's really starting to irk me.

how do i know people are staring in when they pass by? well, i've got a small mirror on the top of my monitor that acts as a rear view mirror. you may think maybe i'm the one who is paranoid and is spying on people who walk by my desk. in truth though, an old officemate gave me the mirror because my first cubicle here was situated in such a way that i was facing away from the entryway in. at that time, people would stop in my cubicle to talk to me, but i would have my headphones on while working, so when they would walk up and tap me, i would freak out because i wasn't expecting someone to be directly behind me. but with the mirror, this unexpectedness is minimized. it really is quite handy, and i don't think i could work in a cubicle without it.

when i have to leave my cube, rarely do i peer into someone's cube and look at their monitor to see what they are doing (except for the girl that is completely passed out sleeping most times i walk by, whose monitor is on screen saver - i'm not sure how she gets away with this).

is this the nature of working in cubicles? is it because people around me can hear my one-sided phone conversations and think if they look at my monitor they can put all the puzzle pieces together that is my life? or maybe they hear all the clacking (me typing on an obnoxiously loud keyboard) all the time and can't possibly figure out what i am working on, so they need to check up on me. or, maybe their own life is in such shambles that they need some glimmer of hope, something, to help them through the day, and looking into my space and seeing what i'm doing is that something.

well, whatever their reasons, it's annoying. it's possible i am assuming a non-existant cubicle privacy policy. but i really don't think it's too much to ask of a person to mind their own business when they are walking from their desk to wherever they are going. one of these days i should create some crazy scenario in my cube (blood on the walls, a limb out of place, etc.) just to find out of they are the helpful kind, or just voyeurs.

ugh. thank god it's hump day.

Labels: work