I work with a man who is very nice - but never stops talking! Even if I’m clearly concentrating on something he’ll come and stand next to me waiting to speak. If I let him talk, he tells me every detail of everything he’s doing - it’s infuriating. I find it very difficult to concentrate on my own work due to the constant interruptions from him, but I can’t get away from him as we have to work in close proximity. How do I handle this without upsetting him or being rude?

Susan advises
Some people just don’t have the art of the two-way conversation - they simply haven’t learned that it’s not done to talk on and on. You have to help your colleague learn this - not only for your sake, and not only because otherwise he is wasting your employer’s time, but also for his sake, Because my bet is that his habit is holding him back and annoying everyone around him not just you!

So have a heart to heart. Tell him how much you value him, but also gently help him to understand that what he’s doing isn’t appropriate.

Plus, try to understand yourself why he does it. Is it that he doesn’t recognise when someone else doesn’t want to be interrupted - if so, help him to learn those signals. Is it insecurity that makes him check everything with you - if so, maybe he could check twice a day, not many times. Is it loneliness that makes him want to talk so much - if so maybe you could spend lunchtime with him once a week.

In the end, however, this isn’t your problem. If he still doesn’t get the message, you may have to be much clearer and up front. "I'm too busy to talk now; come back in half an hour". may seem brutal - but if in the end it’s the only way to stay sane, then grit your teeth and say the words.