Most of us are working these days in an office. It is the typical work for anyone who is starting or already a veteran in any kind of field. These desk jobs might be the bane of some people, but others see this as a way out. Others feel that this is their only choice. However, it doesn’t change the fact that this is usually a fairly compensated job. Commonly, desk jobs are also full of routine work which is why a lot of people are into this as well. With the number of people going in a typical office, there is bound to be some noise that’s going to be made.
There has been an ongoing trend for years now about open office spaces. This was retaliation to the prevalence of the common cubicles. An open office space was full of tables where people can work together and there are no partitions between them. It was argued that having an open space was better because it promoted productivity and camaraderie between employees. For a time, it was effective in some circles. However, some offices realized that their noise was a little too much on the high side. People are not working together anymore. Instead, they ended up gossiping and other doing other stuff which decreased productivity. Read more about this here.
Cubicle vs. Open: Battle of Spaces
Now, there are also offices that are noisy even though they are using cubicles as well. If you are in these types of environment, it can be really difficult to concentrate and just do your job. The noise can also be very distracting for other people as well even though they might be the ones who are making the noise. Also, it is to be noted that continuous, monotonous sounds are so much better than the ones piercing through the silence. Living through all of this everyday makes the job harder for you and everyone else.
Fortunately, we are now living in the modern world. There are more solution than just “suck it up and go back to work”. All of us have rights, even in offices where we feel like we are being treated like slaves. No matter how good your employer is though, the unpleasant sounds can certainly be harmful to your output.
Ways to Survive the Office Jungle
- Installing or buying soundproofing gear
If you have enough money, you can always buy your own soundproofing gear. There are a lot of them in the market. Most of the time, these equipment can be used like a headphone that cancels the noise. There are a lot of them that being sold in tech stores and even online shops nationwide. There are also sites like Soundproof Pros that might offer other solutions that can certainly help you out like for your walls. However, most offices don’t actually allow any kind of permanent change so you might need to stick to the usual headphones if this is allowed.
- Asking for changes in policies
On the other hand, if you have even just a tiny bit of influence, you can always ask whether it might be possible to have some regulations about the noise in your office. This might ruffle some feathers and may cause other people to hate you. However, you also need to take into consideration the job that you are currently doing. The unpleasant sounds can be rather disturbing and reminders might be enough to keep employees from unnecessary chatter. It’s not an Orwellian scenario as people can still talk; complete silence is almost as irritating as loud sounds. Learn more about on this site: https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/04/26/why-a-quiet-office-is-bad-news.
- Office can be a combination of open and closed types
You may remember that we have discussed that there are new ways for a lot of offices. It was a battle between the open, freeing but a bit chaotic open spaces vs. the cool, collected yet kinda boring cubicles. However, there might be a solution to this dilemma: having both at the same time. Why choose between chocolate and vanilla when you can have the swirls, right? This can be a good plan for your office, especially if you are really diverse in your projects and people. Have all the generally open spaces while still preserving some of the more private options. It can be a win-win situation for everyone if handled correctly.