Office Noise And How To Deal With It
An overly chatty coworker on top of an already noisy office environment can make work an absolute nightmare, to say the least. Having to deal with office noise on a daily basis just increases the pressure of dealing with deadlines and other job expectations.
Here are 10 ways to deal with noisy coworkers. Not all will work, but there should be an option that will satisfy everybody's need for a peaceful work environment. The main point is, something must be done or the problem could escalate to bigger issues.
Before you try anything else, talk to these people, who may not understand how loud they really are. Perhaps once they realize, they will make an effort to quiet down. If that doesn't work, try approaching their supervisors, who often have more power to solve a situation like this than you might have.
If those tactics aren't successful, you might want to consult the Human Resources department. It's in everyone's best interest for the employees in an office to get along as well as they can, and HR is a great resource to help facilitate this. They can offer useful suggestions, or even counseling if necessary.
A fourth option for dealing with office noise would be to shut your office door. If a cube is where you reside, this will obviously not work, but prompting others to move away from the space should help. If talking doesn't help, an email (the fifth way) should be sent and copied to the workers' supervisors explaining your point of view and why the reduction would lead to more productivity by all.
If email isn't an option, the sixth way would be to send a memo. Again, send to the offender, their supervisor, or even post it anonymously (all names omitted of course) on a company bulletin board where the subject may get some discussion. Some people are naturally louder than others and they may not realize it until it's discussed and they're really paying attention.
Ways number seven and eight to approach the issue would be relocate. Either move the offenders to another available space or ask to have your own work area relocated away from those creating excess noise. It may not always be possible to move, but the request may prompt other actions to resolve the issue.
The ninth option would be to provide your own background noise. A white noise machine or white noise generator may provide some relief. If your focus is on your work responsibilities and the white noise provides a distraction, perhaps the noisy coworkers will not be as noticeable to you.
Finally, the last option is to initiate a non-aggressive conversation with someone. It is likely you are not the only one to notice the problem, and if enough people sincerely believe there is an office noise problem, the more input you have, the closer you are to a solution. Perhaps a casual coffee and donuts 'noise intervention' could be a starting point.
Excessive office noise isn't just a distraction that can lead to loss of productivity, it can drive you mad! Don't let noisy coworkers stress you out. First, talk to your coworkers. A lot of times people simply don't realize just how noisy they are being. If that fails to quiet things down, try talking to your boss or go to HR department. If you have your own office, close the door. Try writing an email or sending a memo to the offending coworkers. Try to find like minded coworkers who agree with you that there is a noise problem and as a group have a "noise intervention" meeting.
Published April 15th, 2009
Filed in Career
