I really don’t like that people who walk by my office have to stare in at me. It’s creepy. I have a typical office with a typical door and a typical floor/ceiling length window beside the door. Typical. But for as long as I can remember working in an office environment, people walking by have some inherent need to stare in and check out my surroundings. It’s unnerving. So much so that I’m pretty good about not doing the same to others as I work my way through the our structural maze. If you work in an office environment, watch for yourself and see how many people who walk by will stare in at you or your stuff. Do so non-chaulantly though, as I’ve found that an obvious glance in their direction only solicits one in return.
The bottom line here is that I don’t like feeling like a fish in a bowl. I don’t like feeling like my presence is subject to random inspection. I don’t like having to worry that a momentary break from work to find south park clips with a spooky fish will be seen as slacking by a strolling observer, or that a need to address a personal itch might just coincide with the passing by of an HR rep.
I’ve had people stand outside my office in conversations w/somebody across the hall, all the while taking a mental inventory of my workspace, and it bugs me. Sure, if I had some amazing art work or other unique items on display, I’d expect people to stop and look, but I don’t. Intentionally. I have a slightly cluttered desk, but nothing worthy of assessment. There’s two computers and a whiteboard. I’ve nothing on the walls and nothing on the shelves in which one might expect to find a vision of Jesus, or anything else meriting such focused attention and review.
I don’t think I should have to shut my door and draw my blinds just to avoid being the target of walk-by gawkings.
It just bugs me and I wanted to vent. We all have our quirks, right? Some folks don’t like being interrupted, books that aren’t arranged by subject, gum-snapping, having their computer screens touched… we’re all subject to our own idiosyncrasies. This is one of mine. One in a long series. And at times, I believe I’m not only subject to my own, but to channeling everybody else’s as well.
