Misophonia and Chewing Gum

Question

I have misophonia. I sit next to my boss and he chews gum for hours on end every day. The nature of my misophonia means that it sends me into rage at the sound of the chewing. I have asked him not to chew gum when I'm around for this very reason but he either doesn't respect me or doesn't care. I have tried headphones but unless I have them too loud, it doesn't block the sound. He also frequently talks to me whilst chewing so I can't really avoid it then.

It makes me dread going to work every day.

How should I proceed? Go over his head to higher management who control the seating plan so I can be moved to another desk?

What professional help have you obtained for this condition? Did you get any advice? — , Mar 13 '18 at 07:02
I hadn't taken any medical advice. The last I checked, misophonia wasn't a recognised condition but after your comment I looked again and it turns out it is. I've booked at my local GP and will seek further advice there. Thank you. — Mark, Mar 13 '18 at 08:23
See also: Telling my boss I can't stand to hear him eat near me and Are there any strategies you can use to remain focused when working in a open plan environment? — David K, Mar 13 '18 at 13:12
Mr Me - although a valid strategy, I would like to avoid any tit-for-tat situations. Although in the short term I would definitely feel better, in the context of my workplace, I don't think it would help. — Mark, Mar 13 '18 at 14:52
David K - thank you for the reference to those posts. I have seen two of them before. I personally think it's different from the first link as the person I have the problem with is my boss - not just a coworker (my boss has power over me, a coworker doesn't). The 2nd link is more of a duplicate but refers to a brief period of lunch. It may be equally applicable to a longer period of time work time. The last one seems a bit too generic and not focused around misophonia and specific sounds. — Mark, Mar 13 '18 at 14:57

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 13 '18 at 07:00

7

Arrange to sit away from your boss, far enough away so that the noise doesn't bother you so much.

I wouldn't escalate this issue to higher management, they probably wouldn't take it seriously without an official diagnosis from a medical professional.

answered Mar 13 '18 at 07:00

Was just about to submit an identical answer. Yes, assuming you are a good worker, juggling the seating is far less inconvenient than replacing you -- so, a polite but firm request to change seating should resolve the issue (and, be extra nice/deferential for a few months afterwords if possible) – cag51 Mar 13 '18 at 07:03
Thank you for your response. What I meant (but didn't say) by going to higher management was arrange to move. It is one of the directors who controls the seating plan. – Mark Mar 13 '18 at 08:00

Misophonia and Chewing Gum

1 Answers1