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Office noise bothers some people more than others

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Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#441

Post by cerberusss »

navs wrote: post #135

I currently work for a startup and all three of us are hotdesking. We're constantly moved to new spaces in the hotdesking space because a new company is leaving/moving in. I've sat beside recruiters, property managers and salespeople. There's no "quiet" room. The meeting rooms cost a few hundred and need to be pre-booked. My home environment isn't a quiet refuge either. Beside a busy street, more flatmates than their…

I'm working at a client right now, where on my floor works an extremely loud person. I got these; 3M E-A-Rsoft FX, model ES-01-020. They are truly amazing and dampen sound with 39 dB, according to 3M.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#442

Post by cerberusss »

x2f10 wrote: post #298
mrmuagi wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ear plugs like ones made by 3M for construction workers has helped me sleep at night and study without distractions. Have you tried them?

If you have a moment, can you share a link or two? There seem to be a number of models and prices. I don't know what's sufficient and what's overkill.

Get the 3M E-A-Rsoft FX, code ES-01-020. These seem to have the highest attenuation I can find.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#443

Post by jarofgreen »

Anyone else find open plan offices and co-working spaces different?

I quickly realised that in space that is all one company all the discussions concern my work, especially if you sit in teams. So I was always half listening to chat as it was my work and if I didn't I could easily miss things.

But in an co-working space where noone there is my colleague, none of the chat concerns me and I find it far easier to tune out.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#444

Post by catalogia »

brailsafe wrote: post #343
x2f10 wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to do this recently when a co-worker was eating from a glass bowl and kept slamming the metal spoon around in it. I don't know if I was upset at the sound or the sheer inconsiderateness, but I had to get up and take a walk.

A few days ago, my adjacent coworker started cracking and eating eggs in whatever form they can be cracked and eaten as a solid. I was repulsed for obvious reasons, and angry because of the sound. It seems like a comedy

Are you talking about hard-boiled eggs?

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#445

Post by jsinai »

rootusrootus wrote: post #212
chadash wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint: John von Neumann, arguably one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, claimed to do some of his best work in front of the TV. In my personal experience, I know plenty of engineers who don't mind noise. I think it's a personal thing more than anything and it's hard to generalize.

When I'm really cranking away at something, I like loud music. Like, really loud. I really don't like silence ever, to be honest, and I don't consider myself a member of the 'communicator' group.

Second this, although perhaps not as loud. I prefer music for concentration, which has melody and harmony, rather than ‘silence’ which is usually interrupted by noise such as chatter or scruffing or chairs scraping etc.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#446

Post by nvarsj »

rtpg wrote: post #362
waterhouse wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment seems a bit tongue in cheek and you probably know, but anyway... Theoretically, the brain can get used to certain kinds of regular noise and filter it out, and then, if the disruption is a small sound that occurs irregularly... if you add constant white noise that's louder than the sound, then the sound should get quite literally lost in the noise. There is an analogy to light that actually applies. Imag…

> Theoretically, the brain can get used to certain kinds of regular noise and filter it out, and then, if the disruption is a small sound that occurs irregularly... if you add constant white noise that's louder than the sound, then the sound should get quite literally lost in the noise. Just an FYI, while this is basically true for neurotypical people, for some people (for example those with ADHD or who might be on t…

I don’t think you’re correct. Stimulating background music (like EDM or video game OSTs) can do wonders for ADHD sufferers as it helps stimulate their brains which helps them focus (this is a similar mechanism to ADHD drugs).

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#447

Post by lsc »

navs wrote: post #135

I currently work for a startup and all three of us are hotdesking. We're constantly moved to new spaces in the hotdesking space because a new company is leaving/moving in. I've sat beside recruiters, property managers and salespeople. There's no "quiet" room. The meeting rooms cost a few hundred and need to be pre-booked. My home environment isn't a quiet refuge either. Beside a busy street, more flatmates than their…

>The noise has gotten bad enough that I'm considering quitting my job and running away to a small town.

so, uh, my own solution? requires money, but is probably cheaper than giving up the big city wages (depending on your situation and remote-work opportunities.)

1. giant yellow passive hearing protectors at work with soft music.

Personally, I still kinda suspect that active noise canceling is just placebo. (I'm joking a little here, but passive noise dampening is a thousand times better than active, if you ask me.) Give me passive muffs. You still need some soft music, or your ears will adjust, but getting hearing protection earmuffs with bluetooth means the music can be soft. The other advantage is that nothing says "Don't bother me, I'm working" like giant yellow industrial earmuffs. (I like the '3m worktunes connect' - not exactly audiophile grade, but even with really soft music, it makes the office silent )

MMm. you say you find headphones 'heavy and constricting' - perhaps I should take back my advice. the passive earmuffs are both heavy and constricting. I find it kind of comforting? but if pressure is a problem, you probably won't like them.

2. at home: my own room with a solid door with weather stripping and walls with offset studs and triple pane windows. (weather stripping is super cheap and helps a lot with interior noise. A solid door is rather more expensive, and probably helps more, but as for relief per dollar, weather stripping is hard to beat)

Key here, I think, is that construction is more important than location.

3. I show up and leave work late. I get mornings (well, afternoons) for talking with people, and lots of evening time mostly by myself for actual work.

#2. is obviously pricey, but without it, I'd go insane. Personally, I find newer, well-built apartments to have less noise than older single-pane suburban housing. (but then, I think I have a lower tolerance for traffic noise than most; the neighbor warming up his junker in the morning always super bothered me when I was living in an older SFH. some people are okay with that.)

I've talked about building a sleeping box with noise dampening, but... eh, just paying the money for an apartment with proper noise dampening is doable to me.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#448

Post by mytailorisrich »

CydeWeys wrote: post #319
birdyrooster wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. The noise is the businesses responsibility to resolve, not the individual employee. We need spaces which take the needs of employees into account first when creating work spaces, not finance people masquerading as office space gurus.

In a three person company, every problem is every person's responsibility to solve. Especially if you're the only one having that problem!

Whatever the size of the company, noisy environment is usually the consequence of the choice of office space, as exemplified here.

An employee cannot change this, only suggest.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#449

Post by cbhl »

ken wrote: post #332
cbhl wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would start working on a plan to finding a quiet space that is yours. That might mean a small town, or it might mean a $3000/mo+ studio apartment. How do you get to having enough cash flow to afford that space? Can you nix the hotdesking membership? Worst case, can you bail on the startup and join a megacorp?

Are you suggesting a megacorp is more likely to offer private offices?

Does any employer offer private offices during the day to rank-and-file employees? I'm assuming that's an unsolveable problem, but hopefully a salary would make it easier to rent an apartment.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#450

Post by laumars »

rozab wrote: post #340
jackhack wrote: post #80

There are two mutually exclusive groups of people: "Concentrators(1)" and "Communicators(2)". Concentrators must have conditions that allow one to form and hold complex ideas, and act upon them. This is almost always some degree of a quiet environment, without visual or auditory distractions. the opposite of the ideal conditions of Communicators. Communicators must interact with others to do their job. (1) Typical of…

>There are two mutually exclusive groups of people gonna have to stop you right there mate

Indeed. There are as many exceptions to the OPs point as there are examples.

In fact I will flit between those two extremes in any given day based purely on the work I'm doing. eg if I'm doing management administration then I tend to be more chatty because it's lots of small jobs that often require coordinating other people vs when I'm solving engineering problems and I just want a quiet controlled environment.

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