I have been sharing a two person office with the same coworker for about a decade.
We aren't that close and vibe pretty well otherwise, as we are both low-energy and don't need much talk amongst us.
I attend maybe 1 meeting a day, whereas my coworker is a project manager who has as many as 7-8 a day, sometimes leading them.
Pre-covid all of these meetings were physical.
After covid it's become unbearable because every meeting my coworker and I have is on Teams/Zoom, where before they were in physical meeting rooms, which gave me natural breathers during the day. So my meetings are in effect also attended by the coworker.
The coworker has also had a persistent cough since covid, with maybe 100 smaller coughs throughout the day. I'm chronically conflict avoidant so I'm not going to bring that up, because I think one would stop coughing if able to.
There is hardly a single minute where I am able to concentrate, hear my own thoughts, etc. these past few years when at the office.
A solo office nearby has become vacant, but I feel like somehow I would regret it if I changed.
Thoughts?
Note: I work remotely sometimes (1-2 days a week), but I enjoy being on-site besides constant interruptions and noise in the office. Physical meetings, talk at the coffee machine / kitchen, etc. are nice.
We aren't that close and vibe pretty well otherwise, as we are both low-energy and don't need much talk amongst us.
I attend maybe 1 meeting a day, whereas my coworker is a project manager who has as many as 7-8 a day, sometimes leading them.
Pre-covid all of these meetings were physical.
After covid it's become unbearable because every meeting my coworker and I have is on Teams/Zoom, where before they were in physical meeting rooms, which gave me natural breathers during the day. So my meetings are in effect also attended by the coworker.
The coworker has also had a persistent cough since covid, with maybe 100 smaller coughs throughout the day. I'm chronically conflict avoidant so I'm not going to bring that up, because I think one would stop coughing if able to.
There is hardly a single minute where I am able to concentrate, hear my own thoughts, etc. these past few years when at the office.
A solo office nearby has become vacant, but I feel like somehow I would regret it if I changed.
Thoughts?
Note: I work remotely sometimes (1-2 days a week), but I enjoy being on-site besides constant interruptions and noise in the office. Physical meetings, talk at the coffee machine / kitchen, etc. are nice.