Wanted to get some opinions about a coworker issue I have. I’ve worked for a small three man high end cabinet shop for 25 years. The owner and myself have a decent relationship and he trusts me and I respect him. All three of us wear many hats but primarily he runs the shop and I run the front end. We have a guy who has been with us for about two years. He has a lot of personal baggage but is learning and does good work for his time in the business. My issue is he is a music nut and has his music on all day everyday. I like peace and quiet when I’m in the shop but I deal with it because I’m not in the shop everyday. My issue is he whistles and sings loudly off and on all day as well. The boss man never says anything and is the type of guy who avoids confrontation. I was doing some tedious stuff and I asked him to please stop whistling. His reply was, well since you asked me nicely. He kept singing and within an hour or so he continued to whistle again. Am I out of line here to expect him to respect me in this? My take is it’s a place a business not his own personal karioke bar. Opinions?

Does the boss even care?

Try talking to him again. Be nice about it and expect him to do the same. I'm guessing as reasonable adults you can work something out.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

I'm a whistler but I just start without even realizing I'm doing it. It irritates my sis in law as she has tinnitus.

Get him some ear buds and a pack of gum..

If I'm doing something that deserves total concentration I can tune out anything, radio, tv, talking, my wife....

I changed my mind about being reasonable. Two words: Throat Punch.

I think it's you that has the issue. You need to figure out how to work with it. It may be annoying, but that's how it can be when working with others.

You can ask him nicely to get rid of the radio, but he’s been doing it for 2 years and you’ve put up with it this long already.
Maybe something has changed in your life and the baggage is actually on you?

2 years is a long time to let a newbie do something you don’t want to tolerate.

I think he should be grandfathered in with the music and whistling now.

We had a guy in the shop that Blared and I mean BLARED some of that Heavy Metal Screaming stuff. It was so loud we could not even hear the PA when we were paged. We worked it out. We gave him some Head Phones for his walkman and told him if he wanted to play the Music that was fine but it could not be loud and disruptive.

Drown him out with country music.

Search for old threads on this topic. Use the search terms: Coonman, rap and music.

Wear ear plugs!

I went back and read your post again and you said he has a lot of baggage. Also said the boss doesn’t like confrontation. First if he sings and whistles and likes music it seems to me his baggage isn’t bothering him he seems happy. Secondly the way times are having a willing worker for your boss is a good thing and if the work is getting done that’s good.

As a life long supervisor and business owner all people have baggage and life styles that I don’t agree with but I am always thankful for willing workers no matter of their baggage

Like I said get ear plugs

I would caution you from his statement “ since you asked me nicely” what if you hadn’t?

Work sucks without music, and it sound like he is happy if he is singing..
I’m would get rid of the front end guy who is not in the shop very often and wants to cause problems.

Don't forget Pandora

He does good work and is in the shop daily doing his thing…
You aren’t in the shop daily, but want quiet while you’re there…
He doesn’t see you as the boss apparently, just as a coworker…

Guess y’all three need to have a sit down conversation about the chain of command and what’s allowed and not allowed. Seeing how it’s been going on for two years, you or the boss is going to have a hard time telling someone what they’ve been doing for the last two years that it can’t be done anymore. If that’s the road the boss takes just recommend earphones, although that won’t stop his singing or whistling. Maybe you and the boss need noise cancelling earphones.

I guess you could find work with a monk, they take a vow of silence...

Start suggesting/requesting songs he won’t like when you are around.

Ear plugs. Very simple, cheap, non-confrontational solution.

I agree the guy is enjoying his job, you're not in the shop much, seems the best solution. It's not as big a deal as you're making it out to be IMO.