[kleer001]

I've tried and been unsuccessful. There's always that clueless employee that starts talking when my headphones are on. It may be a personal problem too, I really like helping.

actionable advice:

The adult: Use your words "I have my headphone on, that means please do not disturb." or make eye contact slowly shake your head 'no' It's especially difficult when the person is a repeat offender. But don't forget you would be helping not just yourself, but them AND all the people they might bother in the future. You might even need to go to your lead or supervisor or HR. Don't dismiss your need to get your work done. They're wasting your time and the company's money.

The easy: Don't respond. That's kinda a lame move, but oh well.

The difficult: Put a red light on your monitor. Turn it on when you're working, refuse to answer any questions until your done. Don't do this.

[ledfrog]

I have a few coworkers that don't get the whole "headphones on, he's busy" concept. In some cases, they just start talking as if the headphones aren't even there. Sometimes, I pretend I can't see them talking and then after a short time, I look up, remove the headphones and say, "Sorry, were you talking to me? I was focused on something."

They usually get the message and apologize, but I still don't get it. I mean, emergencies aside, send me an email, a text or any other notification you can think of and let me get back to you.