Encounters with less than amicable coworkers are inevitable. In spite of how irritating those coworkers may be, you will still have to cope with them on some level. Sometimes telling them that they are bothering you doesn't do the trick, and the situation calls for more drastic measures such as getting a group of coworkers to demonstrate what that person is doing that is annoying to everyone.

If your colleague hums, whistles or sings badly to himself or herself throughout the workday, you can do several things to block it out. You can just attempt to ignore it altogether, raise the volume on your radio, or buy yourself a set of earphones to eliminate the awful, distracting noise coming from his or her direction.

If this does not work very well then try something that everybody who is annoyed with this coworker can participate in. You could even do something funny like, have everyone sign a written petition to get them to stop and post it onto their computer screen for when they come back.

A petition is one way to approach a coworker making an irritating noise. This allows all of you peers to present the issue as a group, and doesn't single you out as the sole reason for him to stop. This way a friendly work atmosphere can be maintained. It might even be funny to see the co workers reaction.

If you are irritated by the sound of typing, telephone conversation, copiers, and other noises around the office, you do have the temporary option of unplugging the offending machines. If this is not a practical option, you may want to try moving your belongings to a quieter location or to an office basement. When people see that the noise is really bothering you, they'll try to correct the problem.

You can find creative solutions to the problems posed by noise in your office, whether it comes from a single employee or the combination of general office sounds. There are many humorous ways to make it clear that noise is a problem that needs to be dealt with, without being grossly insulting.