Train journey or business thriller? Yesterday, I could not decide.
Yesterday evening on the ICE 617 — from Hamburg to Stuttgart.
Carriage 12, seat 31.
I just wanted to work in peace.
But diagonally in front of me — carriage 12, seat 36 — sat a man wearing a headset.
He was talking. Loud and clear.
For more than an hour.
No whispering, no sense that he was not sitting in his own office.
A monologue broadcast involuntarily to half the carriage.
Before we even reached Bremen, I knew:
👉 Who had messed up on project XY.
👉 That there was “at least a million in it*” in the deal with Kaisers*.
👉 Why our colleague Kruschke* would probably soon be “optimised”.
👉 And who would soon be receiving psychological support.
*Note: all names have been changed here for privacy reasons!
From Bremen onwards, things became really exciting:
Three rows behind me, another man joined a different call.
Two business thrillers in parallel — live on the train.
I gradually felt as though I was in a business thriller:
Crime scene: carriage 12
Weapon: headset + an overwhelming need to share
Motive: self-importance? Thoughtlessness? Simply stuck in the (business) tunnel.
Still under investigation: is there even a tunnel between Hamburg and Bremen? 🎬🍿
Who needs Netflix?
I eventually opted for seat 36.
Somewhere shortly before Osnabrück, I could no longer stand it:
“Excuse me, I really do not want to know any of this.”
The response?
His exact words: “How dare you… I am having an important meeting here!”
Oh, I see.
Then I will bring popcorn next time — was that only the first season? 🎬🍿
And should the dedicated gentleman from carriage 12, seat 36 happen to read this:
What was the name of the colleague who will soon be receiving psychological support?
Just put it in the comments. 😉 I might have a recommendation.
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And now I really am interested:
How would you react in a situation like this?
Speak up, tune it out — or change seats straight away?
#MobileWork #BusinessEtiquette #EverydayObservation #DataPrivacy #Leadership
