Time Stealers

S and I have been working on how he can delicately and diplomatically deal with two colleagues who like to call him and chat at various times of the day. 

The first person works alone so she likes to talk about different things for long periods of time as she obviously doesn’t have anybody to speak to during her day. S and I listed a number of things he can use to limit the call i.e. “I have to go to a meeting in ten minutes, so I must rush you.” 

The second person works on the same project as S but in another city. This lady calls several times to ask questions about the work. In this instance, S and I discussed emailing her to ask if she could list all of her queries and make one or two calls in the day instead of the eight or nine she typically makes. 

During these lessons, S has learned the vocabulary and grammar required to deal politely and assertively with colleagues who are time stealers. 

 Time well spent, I am sure you will agree.