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Every office, no matter how big or small has to deal with coworkers who are loud. What can be done about this? The answer truly rests in what you are prepared to do about it. Here are a few realistic pointers to help you maintain your sanity and keep a sense of calm in your office without you becoming a loser.

Noisy, distracting colleagues frequently are unaware that they are creating distractions. Some just have irritating habits, while others actually prefer to disrupt their fellow workers. Your best bet, if you hope to stop them, is to discover why they are being noisy and disruptive and what is really at the bottom of their antisocial behavior.

The first type that you really have to deal with is the one who doesn't know that his or her habits are causing distraction. This person often feels that the office noise simply covers up any noise that they could possibly make, so their thought is "so no one can really tell that I am making a noise".

A good case in point is "Mr. Sniffles." This is the person who sits next to you while the cold and flu season is in full swing and sniffles throughout the day rather than blowing his nose. These raucous co-workers make you want to invest in Kleenex. Perhaps somebody should graciously inform them that their actions are annoying, or better yet, as with the Mr. Sniffles scenario, just give them some tissue and tell them to blow!

The people who are looking to be the center of attention are much harder to deal with. Moving up the ladder of success is the goal of the person, so attention is something that are trying to attract.

There is really no good way to deal with this sort of person, other than attempt to talk with them about it. If talking to them doesn't resolve the issue, then take it up with management. After all, you are still required to do your work. And with the amount of productivity that the company is already losing due to this worker, well lets just say you may not be the only one bothered.