The office sticky beak is driving me nuts. Help!

Hi Aunty B

I have a colleague who stares at my screen every time she comes over to speak to me. She does this no matter what is on my screen or the time of day or the nature of the conversation and it is very irritating.

I could understand if the conversation related to a product in use or something needing changes on the screen, but in nearly every case it is simply being nosy, and she carries on speaking to me as she reads what I was looking at or writing about.

What can I do to remind this person of the need for some sort of discretion and privacy? Is there even a legal or other precedent for reminding her of the good office etiquette which is plainly absent from her?

Help! 🙂

Adam,
Adelaide

Dear Adam,

I bet she hasn’t even thought about it – it’s just a habit for her to wander across the office, have a chat and stare at your screen. Maybe she is cross eyed and she’s actually staring at your barrel chest and six pack.

Legal precedents? That’s a bit over the top. She is obviously driving you nuts but you need to keep this light. Next time she rolls up, look up at her and ask: Are you bored? When she looks at you blankly, turn your screen TOWARDS her and ask her what else she would like to look at? When she looks puzzled, point out to her that she is always looking at your screen. Then laugh loudly and jovially like a lunatic. Repeat this again and I guarantee she won’t be peeping anymore.

Either that or you could prepare a screen saver with a picture of your dog. Whenever I see a dog on a screen I look away immediately in case I am forced into a long and tedious conversation about Fido.

The main thing Adam is to keep it friendly. In the big picture, it’s a small thing. So take a deep breath and meditate on how badly Nosy is going in the footy tipping.

Your Aunty B.