What't the best way to deal with this?

[paddingtonbear1]

I work in IT, for a small company. Our office is open plan and pretty small. Most of us get on well, but there's 1 guy who totally spoils the atmosphere. I (and the rest of the team) have been here a while and put up with it so far, but it's been worse recently and I'm really getting brassed off with it. This guy has been here since year dot and reckons he's indispensible. He's rude to the rest of us, and his personal habits are totally disgusting - we get constant farting, loud belching, drumming of keys/desk, you get the idea! Also he has a constant cold atm so we also get v loud sniffing and coughing, we can't hear ourselves speak! If we do speak, he gets irritated and talks loudly to himself, drowning us out. I know it sounds silly but it's starting to spoil what otherwise is a good job. People have tried to address his attitude before - including our old team leader - but they get nowhere, he doesn't care and soon reverts back to normal. I think most people have given up! I suspect it's a waste of time actually approaching him about it - as I say he's just rude most of the time. What's best to do, any advice?

[chrissnow]

Buy lots of big pot plants and put them all round his work area so you can't see him and it may muffle some sound and smell too.

[paddingtonbear1]

not sure it would drown out the banging on the desk and shouting...
also, how do we explain it?!
if we had enough room, I would put forward that he had his own office. But we don't. I doubt very much that he likes being in an office with us any more than we like it, but alas we can't do anything about it - all we want is a bit of consideration!
A few people are moving upstairs to make more space - they are delighted to be getting away.
I know it sounds petty to some but try working in this office....

[flowerybeanbag]

Speak to him yourself. You say you suspect it would be a waste of time, but you don't know that until you try.

Some people respond much better to issues like these being raised by colleagues than if they are raised by the manager, he could well be more embarassed and more shamed about it than he would be if the manager raised it.

I would speak to all of your colleagues, then nominate one of you to take him out for coffee and have a chat with him, speaking on behalf of you all. That way you are avoiding irritating and alienating him more by moaning to his boss about him, and you're not losing anything.

At least try it first.

[paddingtonbear1]

Thanks FB. A couple of us have already tried over the past few years - it's improved for maybe a few days, then gone back to normal.
I've spoken to some of my colleagues and noone is prepared to try again, so I guess it would be me, which is fair enough. Our boss wouldn't do anything anyway - he's already said this guy is indispensible workwise so he won't do anything!

[flowerybeanbag]

That's very rubbish of your boss. I don't see how someone being indispensable means you can't address problems with them - does he think this person will immediately resign if he pulled him up on it or something?

That's a very unhelpful attitude from the him, completely unsupportive of the rest of the team, lazy, and is probably the reason why this person continues to behave this way despite people having spoken to him, and probably why your colleagues are reluctant to try again.

I do suggest you try again yourself, then I think if (when) that doesn't work you and colleagues need to get firm with the boss, it's all very well this person being indispensable but unless all of the rest of you are completely dispensable, he needs to think about the wider team, the impact this is having on the whole team, your work, your productivity, your ability to work together, all that.

I think he just doesn't fancy what might be a difficult conversation, but that's what being a manager's about.