Open Plan Offices — Struggling with Constant Noises People Make

[Allan1967]

I've got to vent. I work in an open plan office and it's driving me f**king insane.

I'm stuck on a bank of tables between two other tables full of people taking loudly because they can't hear themselves over the other desk.

Then there's the individuals. One person is like the Joker, cackling with laughter every two minutes and opposite the Joker is Santa Claus Ho ho f**king hoing in response. Then there's the desk thumper and then the cup scraper who scrapes every last morsel from the cup.

It's driving me batsh*t crazy as if I don't have enough to deal with. Oh then there's the phone calls that everybody needs to hear 50m away.

I looked it up... there's actually studies on this that show noise is the number 1 pet hate of people stuck in these environments plus it has numerous effects on health and productivity.

I'm seeing my manager about it tomorrow. If anyone has any suggestions that don't involve me going postal, I'm all ears.

 

[linearb]

When I worked in an open office, one of my coworkers thought I was too loud to possibly have to be near. We had a "library" room in the office, and he just moved all 3 of his monitors and keyboard there, and used it as a private office.

This was right around the time that the Crimea annexation heated up, and so we started calling him Library Putin, but other than that life went on as normal, which is to say, I used a loud-ass CherryMX keyboard and constantly did whiskey shots and fired nerf guns at people, because that's the kind of place it was.

Does your office have a room you can just annex, and are you a valued enough employee to pull it off?

 

[Digital Doc]

https://convene.com/catalyst/open-office-noise/

I would monitor the decibels and get an idea how loud it is. If above 85 in the US you have an OSHA issue, although I suspect it is quieter than that.

Did you try ear plugs?

Could always go with the noise is giving you migraines...

 

[Allan1967]

When I worked in an open office, one of my coworkers thought I was too loud to possibly have to be near. We had a "library" room in the office, and he just moved all 3 of his monitors and keyboard there, and used it as a private office.

This was right around the time that the Crimea annexation heated up, and so we started calling him Library Putin, but other than that life went on as normal, which is to say, I used a loud-ass CherryMX keyboard and constantly did whiskey shots and fired nerf guns at people, because that's the kind of place it was.

Does your office have a room you can just annex, and are you a valued enough employee to pull it off?

I'm going to try.

 

[Allan1967]

https://convene.com/catalyst/open-office-noise/

I would monitor the decibels and get an idea how loud it is. If above 85 in the US you have an OSHA issue, although I suspect it is quieter than that.

Did you try ear plugs?

Could always go with the noise is giving you migraines...

It can get anywhere up to about 70 decibels, so it's not excessive, it's the fact that there's so much going on and the human brain has limited bandwidth to deal with it all. No objection to people being happy at work but she takes the piss.

 

[Jack Straw]

Can you ask to move to a more quieter part of the office? Tell him it is because it is hard to concentrate with all the talking.

Or you can wear ear plugs if it is really that bad and bothering you? Unless it is damaging your hearing, I wouldn't do this though.

 

[Digital Doc]

The causing headaches may be easier to explain than this whole T thing. And hey, the ears are part of the head anyway!

 

[erik]

Not to make light of your situation, but I have worked in one for years and I feel your pain. Nevertheless, sometimes laughter is the best medicine - sad but true!