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Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

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Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#221

Post by Gigablah »

speeder wrote: post #80
pklausler wrote: post #10

The problem with open office plans is that it takes just one noisy person to spoil it for everybody. If managed carefully and actively, they can work -- it just takes an manager willing to correct bad behavior or send sick people home. Where I work, I have a budding tupperware percussionist, three imminent victims of whooping cough, some parents managing high-maintenance offspring over cell phones, and one guy who co…

I have ADHD, meaning that open office is great to distract me... But also, one of the symptons of ADHD, with the "H" there, is that people must move, in my particular case one of the things I tend to do is tap my nails on the desk, use tupperware as drums, or if a actual musical instrument is nearby, even if I dunno how to play it, I play it. So, ADHD person in open office not only has terrible productivity due to ot…

I wonder if something like this would help:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antsylabs/fidget-cube-a...

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#222

Post by knorker »

skc wrote: post #205

It's very strange that HN seems to sway so heavily against open offices. I genuinely think the reality is that opinions are split squarely down the middle, otherwise hacking/working in coffee shops wouldn't be a thing for example (people seek out that specific experience) It also implies that the likes of Google/Facebook aren't being as productive as they can be, which is hogwash in my opinion.

If you've ever been to a Google/facebook office you'll know that it's mostly deserted. It works to some extent mostly because people aren't actually at their desks.

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#223

Post by wiredfool »

foobarian wrote: post #150
ArkyBeagle wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll take r-squared loss for 40 dB, Alex :)

Given Keith Moon's love for explosives I wouldn't be surprised if their pyrotechnic stunts helped this along too, like the accidental overdose of gunpowder in the bass drum on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

One of those drum explosion incidents was credited with the deafness in one of his ears. (IIRC, been a few years since I saw the documentary)

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#224

Post by clarry »

davidtgoldblatt wrote: post #18

An anecdote for those who hoped they'd find suggestions in the comments: I ended up buying some over-the-head earmuff headphones aimed at construction workers (I think with a 25dB noise reduction rating). I put in ear plugs, then the headphones, and play some light music; even relatively loud and nearby conversations drop away pretty quickly. (Ordinary "noise cancelling" headphones aren't intended to block the sound…

I used to wear earmuffs at work, eight hours a day. I started to develop intermittent hearing problems (coupled with nasty headache). Like an infection of some sort.

At one point I noticed there's mould in one of the muffs. :(

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#225

Post by sangnoir »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #172
mgkimsal wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but think of all the money they saved on the office space!

Yeah, here is an interesting experiment. Take Alphabet's Q2 Earnings[1] and note that in the 3 months ending June 30, 2016, Alphabet generated 6.9B$ of free cash flow. That is after all the expenses they could think up to take out of it like building new data centers, offices, snacks, google I/O attendee gifts, whatever. Now divide that by the number of employees, 66,500. That means that there was just over $105,000…

> Since the investment rate of return is about 2% for cash equivalents, and the productivity rate of return would be on the order of at least 5%, you could say they were being dollar wise and productivity foolish.

Would that increase be in individual productivity or team productivity? I wouldn't be surprised if the aggregate productivity goes down after moving into offices. I would love to read any papers that touch on this, if any research has been done.

I am a fan[1] of open offices, they bring certain efficiencies to team dynamics. If I want to see if someone is busy, I look up/around. If they look like they are in the zone, I send and IM and walk over. Listening in on ambient conversations in my vicinity when taking breaks/waiting for compiles is very useful as well - it's the extended version of the "watercooler effect" where I keep up to date on things I don't directly work on and I occasionally provide solutions before the issue is raised via email or group chat.

1. I am not easily distracted, I can shut out external stimuli. Usually, when I'm focusing on something (work, TV, book), you will have to tear my attention from the activity, and it will take several attempts. To my dismay, I read this makes me more susceptible to hypnosis.

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#226

Post by scottmf »

jpindar wrote: post #154
developer2 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, blame the worker who has no choice but to work surrounded by another 100 people. Don't blame the business who cut corners on structural costs. Open offices don't exist because it's "better" for anyone; they exist because businesses save millions of dollars in building costs, and conveniently label it as a "cultural" thing.

Just because we're both forced to work in the same room doesn't mean my coworkers have no choice but to force me to listen to their political rants etc. If I complained, I'd be labeled as "antisocial". That IS bullying.

How is it bullying any more than if you were to complain about him being too social?

Your perceived antisociality could be almost as bothersome to him as his sociability is to you.

I don't mean to dismiss your concern, and I can relate even, but workplaces are social environments and (apart from political rants which might border on offensive) I see no reason why you're a victim here.

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#227

Post by qzio »

davidtgoldblatt wrote: post #18

An anecdote for those who hoped they'd find suggestions in the comments: I ended up buying some over-the-head earmuff headphones aimed at construction workers (I think with a 25dB noise reduction rating). I put in ear plugs, then the headphones, and play some light music; even relatively loud and nearby conversations drop away pretty quickly. (Ordinary "noise cancelling" headphones aren't intended to block the sound…

Noise cancelling doesn't work in an open office, but noise isolation does. I have a pair from https://www.etymotic.com/ . I've tried a couple of different headphones/sets but nothing compares to the products from etymotic.

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#228

Post by paddy_m »

keithpeter wrote: post #202
speeder wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have ADHD, meaning that open office is great to distract me... But also, one of the symptons of ADHD, with the "H" there, is that people must move, in my particular case one of the things I tend to do is tap my nails on the desk, use tupperware as drums, or if a actual musical instrument is nearby, even if I dunno how to play it, I play it. So, ADHD person in open office not only has terrible productivity due to ot…

I know this is tricky but have you ever tried explaining the condition at an interview? Along the lines of 'it would be best if I had a seat in an enclosed space for at least part of the day'.

I have done this many times. I generally wait until after the offer has been made. At that point the company is convinced in my work output. They should want to maximize their investment. My hope is that asking for specific work accommodations to maximize performance comes across as conscientious and carrying about the value I deliver.

I phrase it along the lines of "I have trouble concentrating, so if I have to work in an open office environment I would perform the best if I face a wall".

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#229

Post by mgkimsal »

sangnoir wrote: post #225
ChuckMcM wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, here is an interesting experiment. Take Alphabet's Q2 Earnings[1] and note that in the 3 months ending June 30, 2016, Alphabet generated 6.9B$ of free cash flow. That is after all the expenses they could think up to take out of it like building new data centers, offices, snacks, google I/O attendee gifts, whatever. Now divide that by the number of employees, 66,500. That means that there was just over $105,000…

> Since the investment rate of return is about 2% for cash equivalents, and the productivity rate of return would be on the order of at least 5%, you could say they were being dollar wise and productivity foolish. Would that increase be in individual productivity or team productivity? I wouldn't be surprised if the aggregate productivity goes down after moving into offices. I would love to read any papers that touch…

The issue is not force everyone to be in private offices 100% of the time. The issue is give everyone a place to go that's private so when they need to have quiet/alone/distraction-free time, then can have it.

Granted, I generally assume laptops, and many folks probably have larger desktop setups, but it's the choice factor here that is always ignored during optimizations for "efficiency".

Until you can test, say, 3-6 months of privates offices for those who want/need them vs open-plan for everyone, you won't be able to get usable comparisons.

Re: Noisy Coworkers And Other Sounds Are A Distraction In Workplace

#230

Post by mgkimsal »

mrweasel wrote: post #206
mgkimsal wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

duct work for ventilating multiple smaller offices properly is problematic vs just having one big open space. I'm not sure what fire codes may have to say about it either. ventilation was one issue that was brought up to me years ago when asked for input on a new office revamp. Somehow the owners and exec team still all managed to get new private offices with ventilation, but the dev team didn't...

I'm almost certain that it's legal in US to have people work in a windowless room, but I doubt that most people would accept it. So you're also restricted in how "deep" your building can be, if you discard the open office plan. Meaning that you'd have to build higher, or have more buildings.

our coworking space is almost all windowless - I don't mind, others don't mind (or are still members, despite it). But we've still got ventilation in each room - it would get unbearable quickly without decent HVAC.
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