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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

#371

Post by filesystem »

BurningFrog wrote: post #342
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…

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying this to be a jerk. This is not uncommon. There is a fair chance that your core annoyance is something else. That is, if you somehow got a perfectly sounds proofed workroom of your own, you would after a while realize that you're still irritable, find it difficult to concentrate etc. Often, we don't want to face our real problems and assign discomfort to some external thing we have no power…

Can you provide some research that backs up your claim here? Quiet, distraction-free spaces (libraries) for studying / working have been around roughly forever. Are you suggesting that these spaces provide no tangible benefit, and the millions of people who utilize quiet spaces for concentration are somehow mentally invalid?

I commend you on the achievement of reaching a state of mental nirvana that allows you to concentrate equally in chaotic and quiet environments - very impressive. I would venture to say that the vast majority of the population will never reach this state.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#372

Post by spaceandshit »

mumblemumble wrote: post #322

A product recommendation, for those looking to deal with office noise: I've found that the earbuds that Etymotic makes are far superior to anything I've tried with active noise canceling. They're less expensive, they don't require batteries, they're more portable, the audio quality is better, they don't have that "stifling" feeling, they're a LOT more effective, and, best of all, you can control the level of noise da…

Which Etymotic product in particular?

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#373

Post by grzm »

spaceandshit wrote: post #372
mumblemumble wrote: post #322

A product recommendation, for those looking to deal with office noise: I've found that the earbuds that Etymotic makes are far superior to anything I've tried with active noise canceling. They're less expensive, they don't require batteries, they're more portable, the audio quality is better, they don't have that "stifling" feeling, they're a LOT more effective, and, best of all, you can control the level of noise da…

Which Etymotic product in particular?

Your parent mentioned the MK5s. Etymotic prides themselves in pretty flat response overall, with some slight variation in different lines. I've had a couple of different versions of the ER-4 (ER-4PT, ER-4XR) and have been happy with them. I think the primary thing is whether you're comfortable with the form factor, and for that you can just pick up a pair of the ear plugs for less than $20. If you're happy with how they fit, the particular model of headphones you pick depends more on how much you're willing to pay.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#374

Post by mratzloff »

BurningFrog wrote: post #342
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…

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying this to be a jerk. This is not uncommon. There is a fair chance that your core annoyance is something else. That is, if you somehow got a perfectly sounds proofed workroom of your own, you would after a while realize that you're still irritable, find it difficult to concentrate etc. Often, we don't want to face our real problems and assign discomfort to some external thing we have no power…

So, to be clear, your suggestion is—having no personal space, no quiet area, a constantly shifting work environment, for what is presumably a programming profession in a field dominated by introverts, and the poster stating this is a problem to the extent that escape seems a viable alternative—that the source of his or her stress is some unmentioned, unrelated personal problem.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#375

Post by zeta0134 »

ken wrote: post #337
zeta0134 wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know this isn't a great solution, but could you try a lightweight pair of headphones, and some relaxing music? Not particularly heavy music mind, but just something you can leave in the background. Maybe a movie soundtrack. I use videogame OSTs but that's not everyone's cup of tea. This would maybe make the headphone issue more bearable (lightweight - much less uncomfortable for long periods), and the goal isn't to…

I’ve never understood how some people believe that the problem of too much noise could be solved by adding more noise. There’s too much light in my eyes, and dark glasses are uncomfortable. Well, have you tried shining another light at your face? Maybe a different color of light would help.

It's counter-intuitive, no? Actually though, the trick isn't to add more noise. Or... specifically, I suppose we need to first establish that the noise isn't the problem; noise is easy to tune out. Your brain is doing it right now: focus on your surroundings, and odds are there's the low hum of some air conditioner, or the whine of a CRT monitor, or the sound of that florescent ballast down the hall going out, or whatever. You barely even notice these things, because your brain is good at filtering out anything repetitive or constant.

What kills productivity in an office environment is actually signals that cut through that noise. Phones ringing, conversations between coworkers, printers whirling to life, someone opening a cellophane wrapper and chewing on a candy, etc. Most of these things aren't useful, but they're distracting, because your brain is tuned to constantly be on the lookout for new audio signals to shift your focus to. This is probably a survival instinct, as becoming aware of an approaching predator is important to avoid becoming lunch. In an office, the goal isn't thus to add more noise, but to mask the noise, so that it is less distracting.

Music is not "more noise," but more like a big, obvious beacon of focus. You might think of it like a controlled, intentional distraction. It's juuuust enough of an audio signal that your mind can keep its focus in one place, and just barely loud enough that when your coworkers phone rings, it isn't quite so jarring. That tiny, tiny little adjustment in the relative weight of the signals can make all the difference in the world, preventing you from unnecessary context switches throughout your day and helping you to maintain flow while working on a complex task.

It's not perfect, no. Obviously the perfect environment would be 100% in the control of the worker, who could dictate the noise level and comfortable temperature and everything else on a personal level. But, well, the real world isn't perfect, and it can be good to have options. :)

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#376

Post by ben509 »

commandlinefan wrote: post #189
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 considering quitting my job and running away If there were an alternative, we'd all run with you. There isn't, though. Something to think about when they say there's supposedly a "talent shortage" and they're having trouble "recruiting top performers".

We'll all run to remote work, and encase our home offices with layers upon layers of sound proofing.

Meanwhile, I predict the new fad will be airline offices, because who wouldn't want all the fun and adventure of flying at the office? They'll all be sitting in economy class seats and working off tray tables, while the person in front of them leans their seat back and has loud conversations on speakerphone. And it'll be family friendly, too, with every day being "bring your screaming child to work day."

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#377

Post by afarrell »

BurningFrog wrote: post #342
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…

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying this to be a jerk. This is not uncommon. There is a fair chance that your core annoyance is something else. That is, if you somehow got a perfectly sounds proofed workroom of your own, you would after a while realize that you're still irritable, find it difficult to concentrate etc. Often, we don't want to face our real problems and assign discomfort to some external thing we have no power…

In my case, the underlying core annoyance is the lack of deep understanding of my tools. But that isn’t possible to solve without sustained attention.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#378

Post by jcims »

One thing that hasn't been mentioned a whole lot is how bad it is to have a phone conference in these environments. Our brains are incredibly good at localizing and filtering environmental sounds, but when everything is piped through a handset or headset, it becomes an undifferentiated cacophony. Short calls are fine, but if you're on for an hour trying to work an issue it can become infuriating.

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#379

Post by TheJazi13 »

seppin wrote: post #328
sxates wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just got the new AirPod Pros with noise cancellation, and have found them excellent and filtering out a lot of the ambient office noises. I turn them on and the AC whoosh, keyboard clicks and other white noise disappear. I can still hear voices, but they're much quieter and easily defeated with some music. If you haven't tried them it might be a good option, I find them comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

Same, I quite like them. Just a heads up, don't walk the streets with both in. The in ear allows to listen with just one in.

Or just flip on the transparent mode

Re: Office noise bothers some people more than others

#380

Post by peter_l_downs »

sxates wrote: post #242
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 just got the new AirPod Pros with noise cancellation, and have found them excellent and filtering out a lot of the ambient office noises. I turn them on and the AC whoosh, keyboard clicks and other white noise disappear. I can still hear voices, but they're much quieter and easily defeated with some music. If you haven't tried them it might be a good option, I find them comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

I have them too and they definitely do not cancel keyboard clicks.
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