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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

#231

Post by mgkimsal »

biztos wrote: post #186
mgkimsal wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet, most places I've seen inside, it's the opposite on those top two points. Dev/creative folks are in bullpen/open areas Marketing/sales get private offices Justification I got a couple times was the sales people need to talk numbers, and that needs to be private. Cynically, I think they don't want anyone else (like devs) overhearing the (over)promising that's done, or hear/witness some of the desperation when…

I'm late to this thread, and just kind of thinking out loud, but I wonder if this would work: Give programmers tiny private offices -- enough to physically do the computer-interaction part of programming in comfort -- and have a big central open space with big tables and some of the normal lounge stuff. Ergo: you can "go off to code" and have privacy; but you would have a physical as well as social incentive to also…

Difficulty with this is that it assumes laptops, or requires laptops + desktops. While we're on the subject of choice, some folks are very particular about double monitors, specific keyboards, physical arrangement of all that stuff, etc. The switching back and forth between different rooms... either requires multiple machines or ignores some of the beefier setups some people want/need.

That said, I'm fine with one 16g laptop and I move around with it a lot, but I also know a lot of folks who could not be terribly productive on any laptop vs their current setup.

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

#232

Post by mgkimsal »

riskneural wrote: post #187
mgkimsal wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet, most places I've seen inside, it's the opposite on those top two points. Dev/creative folks are in bullpen/open areas Marketing/sales get private offices Justification I got a couple times was the sales people need to talk numbers, and that needs to be private. Cynically, I think they don't want anyone else (like devs) overhearing the (over)promising that's done, or hear/witness some of the desperation when…

I find it very hard to make sales calls when somebody non-sales is in the room. The rejection is enough for me without adding judgment :)

thanks for that extra view point, and I totally understand that angle!

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

#233

Post by gerbilly »

ghurtado wrote: post #48
Swizec wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you're an extrovert? Being around people gives you energy. For us introverts it's the opposite. Being around people drains us of energy. Even if we enjoy their company and enjoy social interaction . It's tiring. There's probably no silver bullet for office design. People are different, as you say.

I don't know why you got downvoted. I'm a software engineer and I identify with every sentence in your comment. I suspect I'm far from the only one.

I'd go further and say that many introverts self select for jobs like programmer, researcher etc that require deep sustained focus.

I would bet that introverts are _over represented_ in tech, but of course they put us all in open office plans.

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

#234

Post by phunehehe0 »

6DM wrote: post #28
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 feel your pain. One thing that used to really irk me was a manager (with an office) that would have loud speakerphone conversations with the door wide open... I used to use ear buds to block it out, but I don't recommend it. It actually does damage your hearing. I didn't figure that out for a while. Luckily my hearing has seemed to improve a bit. I highly recommend over the ear noise cancelling head phones. They ge…

The trick that worked for me was to use something like https://coffitivity.com/.

The sound is similar enough to the usual office noises and thus is very effective in cancelling them out. Also it has enough chaos to avoid becoming a distraction by itself. And then it doesn't hurt your hearing that much because you don't have to turn the volume too high to be effective.

I like to combine it with a little music. The only problem is, I can't find headphones that don't hurt after an hour...

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

#235

Post by rdlecler1 »

For those who might be distracted by music, I bring earplugs to work. That you also have to take them out to talk means that you're also distracting less people. They should be giving them away at the front desk. Bright orange so people know not to disturb you unless necessary.

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

#236

Post by andrewaylett »

ghaff wrote: post #67
ethanbond wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the risk of seeming spammy since I just replied to another person on here, you should check out the Here One by Doppler Labs. I had the first version and it's incredible – albeit mostly a novelty device. They're taking preorders for the new one right now and it seems to no longer be a novelty device at all... Also since you specifically mentioned comfort, these are just little wireless earbuds that feel comfy enou…

Looks interesting. I have the Bose QC-20s and they're great for traveling. They're great on planes although, as others indicate, they're better at background noise than voices. I held off on noise canceling headphones for ages because I pack pretty light and refused to bring over-the-ear headphones traveling--and then hesitated at the price. But they were really worth it. I never realized before using them how much I…

I carry Etymotic earplugs with me at all times; they're cheap enough not to worry too much about losing. I also recently got myself a pair of Plantronics Backbeat Pro headphones -- they're great; pretty good at blocking background noise turned off, really good with the noise cancelling on (even in the office) and not nearly as expensive as the Bose headphones. And they sound great both with a wire and on Bluetooth.

I should probably buy some Plantronics stock, shouldn't I? Just a happy consumer :).

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

#237

Post by zimpenfish »

andrewaylett wrote: post #236
ghaff wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks interesting. I have the Bose QC-20s and they're great for traveling. They're great on planes although, as others indicate, they're better at background noise than voices. I held off on noise canceling headphones for ages because I pack pretty light and refused to bring over-the-ear headphones traveling--and then hesitated at the price. But they were really worth it. I never realized before using them how much I…

I carry Etymotic earplugs with me at all times; they're cheap enough not to worry too much about losing. I also recently got myself a pair of Plantronics Backbeat Pro headphones -- they're great; pretty good at blocking background noise turned off, really good with the noise cancelling on (even in the office) and not nearly as expensive as the Bose headphones. And they sound great both with a wire and on Bluetooth. I…

I have a couple of pairs of ER20s and some ER20XS for commuting, gigs, noisy places, etc. They do a good enough job that I can go to e.g. a Rammstein gig and not suffer afterwards (tinnitus flareup, headache, etc.)

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

#238

Post by zimpenfish »

qzio wrote: post #227
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.

+1 for etymotics. I've found they're pretty much the only things which reliably stay in my ears without pain.

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

#239

Post by zimpenfish »

douche wrote: post #131

When it gets real bad, sometimes I put in my handy old industrial orange foam ear-plugs[1]. What's good for bringing the scream of a chainsaw down to a dull wail will just about block out all but the loudest conference calls completely. Although I suppose it might be a tad ruder than headphones... [1] http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/max

I use http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/laser-lite for sleeping and occasionally when walking through London. Good value in bulk from Amazon.

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

#240

Post by Grishnakh »

post_break wrote: post #6

Coworker who is extremely loud on the phone. I get 0 work done when she's on the phone. She's so loud I can't hear people when I'm on the phone. We have an "open door" policy at work so if I close my door to my own office it looks weird. If I tell her she's being too loud I look like an asshole. We're moving to a new building and I'm going to be on a different floor than her and I can't wait. So many years of listeni…

Do the office doors lock? I have a solution that probably won't get you in trouble with management for stirring the pot: stay late and sabotage her phone. Make sure to wear gloves, and do it in a way that's really hard to detect, such as opening it up and carefully cutting a trace on the circuit board which renders it inoperable, but is impossible to spot without someone else carefully examining the board for defects.
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