White noise/nature noise (waves, rain) machine; used this to drown out noisy person in nearby office at work
Run a portable fan or heater
Play music, TV, podcast low in background
Take a break during the phone calls

Anonymous wrote:Stare at them from your office window. Open your window a few inches and keep staring.

This might work along with OP making it obvious they’re eavesdropping. Like next time they see the neighbor recount details of the conversation and offer insight. That might stop their irritating antagonism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a retired neighbor who has put a bench on the side of their house that faces my office window. Everyday they make phone calls and talk for a few hours with someone. It seems to be a friend and they just talk and laugh. Can I ask them to move their bench so they talk somewhere else or is that going too far? It’s making it difficult to work and I will need to move my office.

Go to work. Why are you at home pretending to work?

You sound jealous that you need to go to a miserable office 5 days a week.

You are jealous that I don’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a retired neighbor who has put a bench on the side of their house that faces my office window. Everyday they make phone calls and talk for a few hours with someone. It seems to be a friend and they just talk and laugh. Can I ask them to move their bench so they talk somewhere else or is that going too far? It’s making it difficult to work and I will need to move my office.

Go to work. Why are you at home pretending to work?

You sound jealous that you need to go to a miserable office 5 days a week.

If my neighbor came to me with this request I would laugh in their face. I can’t believe you even needed to ask if he can talk on his on property.

Um, absolutely not. Talking and laughing right outside their own home is perfectly reasonable (and admirable) behavior. What a killjoy you are!

Sounds like you will need to move your office - or get sound proofing of some point.

Stare at them from your office window. Open your window a few inches and keep staring.

It's asking a lot for complete silence when you have close neighbors. Either wear earplugs or learn to live with it. Talking outside is completely reasonable.

Ridiculous.

No need to work from home. Pandemic is over.

Anonymous wrote:I have a retired neighbor who has put a bench on the side of their house that faces my office window. Everyday they make phone calls and talk for a few hours with someone. It seems to be a friend and they just talk and laugh. Can I ask them to move their bench so they talk somewhere else or is that going too far? It’s making it difficult to work and I will need to move my office.

Go to work. Why are you at home pretending to work?

I can see why you're annoyed, but no, you can't. Talking in one's own yard, even for hours, is reasonable behavior.

No, I don't think it's reasonable to ask him to move the bench. Sounds like it's in his yard and he's using it the way he wants and "talking on the phone" is not a nuisance behavior.

I'd look into soundproofing your office a bit. Add weather stripping around the window to plug any gaps, add some blinds and drapes (a layered approach will give you options -- even just a pull down blind will dampen noise some, but I'd also do a heavier curtain over it that will block more sound if you really need quiet). Maybe move your desk so you sit further from the window. Consider a white noise machine or music.

I live in a condo and have VERY noisy neighbors, so I get your annoyance. I don't want to move just yet, so I have taken some of these steps and it helps, enough that it doesn't aggravate me every day.

I have a retired neighbor who has put a bench on the side of their house that faces my office window. Everyday they make phone calls and talk for a few hours with someone. It seems to be a friend and they just talk and laugh. Can I ask them to move their bench so they talk somewhere else or is that going too far? It’s making it difficult to work and I will need to move my office.