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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

#201

Post by gvurrdon »

mmanfrin wrote: post #63
ThePhysicist wrote: post #42

The company I'm currently working at bought everyone some top-of-the-line Bose noise-canceling headphones for the same reason, as we have an open plan office and coworkers can be chatty sometimes. And while the noise canceling is far from being perfect, it really makes it much easier to stay focused when working. I even wear them on my commute now as they are very good at filtering out constant amplitude white noise…

I bought some QC25s when I moved to a big open office. For me, they don't help -- what they do is they kill all the background noise, but then the individual voices still come through and they come through as the only thing I hear . I could play music, but sometimes I like the roar of silence.

I'd like to buy a nice pair of headphones but that's the thing that worries me. I'm not at all bothered by the background noise (e.g. aircraft engines) but human-made noises are very distracting. There seems to be nothing that can filter them out; my current passive headphones will muffle conversation a bit when I've got white noise playing through them but throat-clearing cuts right through.

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

#202

Post by keithpeter »

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 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'.

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

#203

Post by mrweasel »

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'.

Unless a person have skills that are in extreme demand, I'm certain that the result would be that you're either not given the job, or you promised that the company will work something out, but never actually act upon it. It's not that I believe that companies are evil in that sense. It's just more stuff to deal with, stuff that's not really important to anyone but that single employee.

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

#204

Post by test1235 »

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…

Isn't that Google's model with their little developer sheds? Or do they not do that anymore?

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

#205

Post by skc »

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.

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

#206

Post by mrweasel »

mgkimsal wrote: post #164
dogma1138 wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are modern open space offices actually cheaper? Just the costs of the decor and other accommodations would probably outweigh the costs of having internal walls and maybe a tab bit more floor space (even tho I have a strong suspicion that traditional offices are actually more space friendly). Cubicles and small team offices do not take much more space, in fact they can often be more space friendly since there isn't th…

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.

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

#207

Post by dasboth »

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.

For me the difference between an open plan office and a coffee shop is direct interruptions. I can drown out the ambient noise of a coffee shop and get into flow when coding. In an office, people walk up to you/phone you/whatever which is a direct distraction "aimed" at you specifically, which is much more jarring and difficult to ignore.

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

#208

Post by keithpeter »

nisse72 wrote: post #99
digler999 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't like them, and you have no hope of using direct methods, you might be able to turn them in to either spotify or ASCAP. I think they might need a special license to play music for more than one person. It's dirty and it's snitching, but it might make your problem go away.

I would love to do that, but even though my opinion is shared by possibly 80% of the staff here I would also be the prime suspect since I've been quite outspoken about it. In fact there's a note on the back of the amplifier telling me specifically to keep my hands off the speaker cables! (They have been unplugged on a few occasions, but not by me). My manager is sympathetic but powerless. However we're expecting some…

Suggestion: you and the rest of the 80% arrange to wear headphones all the time for one day. (No need to have any sound in the headphones) and conduct all exchanges via email/internal messaging. Sort of silent protest?

Might get the message through...

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

#209

Post by keithpeter »

nisse72 wrote: post #199
misja111 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried talking to your senior colleague about it? If your colleague can't be without music, then it seems a better solution that he starts wearing headphones instead of you.

Haha, the senior colleague in the story is the CEO, and my manager is the CTO. The CTO is on our side but the CEO cares only about 1 person and it's not us. Hence: clueless and does not give a toss.

Does the boss have a theory about universal music?

Has anyone suggested piping nature sounds/sea sounds through the loudspeakers as an experiment (you know, a bit of disruption)?

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

#210

Post by keithpeter »

boyaka wrote: post #151
nisse72 wrote: post #89

I am currently working in a very crowded open office. We have small desks where we sit almost elbow to elbow, the place is all hard surfaces (it's an old industrial building made into office space), and there is a fair amount of noise. But none of this would bother me except for the fact that one senior person has decided to have speakers installed in the ceiling, and we have to listen to non-stop spotify playing top…

This is what I hate about Starbucks, and the fact that it's pretty much the only place I can go to work / get out of the house when the library isn't open.

Is there not an independent cafe somewhere near with no music? I've noticed that the independents tend to either not have music or have less intrusive music compared to the chain cafes. Latter have a 'format' they are required to keep to.

I made a significant discovery last night: Franky and Bennys restaurants in the UK do not have background music inside the restaurant (unless the one we ended up in just had a fault with the system). Bliss

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