Office Noise And How To Resolve It

If your office is already a noisy place, but you've also got the added irritation of a noisy comrade, your daily life at work can be a nightmare. There are deadlines and other issues of the job to contend with, so office noise makes it that much more difficult.

The following list of ten ways to deal with unacceptable office noise levels should enable you to find an effective solution to this issue. Of course, not all of these will work with some types of noisy coworkers but they are all worth a try until you find the best solution for everyone.

Your first step should be to have a conversation with the people who are irritating you. Simply put, many people don't realize how loudly they're speaking, and you might be able to alert them to the situation yourself. If a conversation doesn't work, feel free to mention the problem to a supervisor. He or she will be able to make suggestions on the best way to proceed.

If that doesn't work, perhaps a discussion with Human Resources would be the third option. Fact is, unless you're in a one-man office, employees need to find ways to work together. HR should be able to provide options or counseling between employees if the issue is getting heated.

A fourth choice for handling office noise is to close your office door. If you work behind a cubicle, of course this won't work for you, but telling other people to move to another area should help. If speaking to them about this doesn't do anything, then a fifth choice is to send an email and also a copy to the employees managers to explain how you feel and the reason that less noise will cause everybody to be more productive.

If you're not comfortable sending an email about the noise level in the office there are other options. One would be to post a memo in a common area. Avoid a hostile tone and do not mention any names. This is certain to cause discussion and may even make the chief offenders realize how loud they are.

There are a couple of other ways to deal with noisy coworkers. This involves changing the office configuration so that the noise makers are moved further away from you or that your space is moved to a quieter location. While you might not be able to succeed in doing this, it surely will bring the noise problem to the attention of those in a position to do something about it.

The ninth option would be to create your own personal, non offensive background noise. For example, running a computer can sometimes provide enough white noise to cover any outstanding noisy coworkers, and it might be just enough for you to be able to concentrate again. This is the polite way of drowning them out.

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.

The following 10 suggestions are ways to address the problem of noisy coworkers. First, try talking to the offenders. second, talk to their supervisor about the problem. Enlist the aid of your Human Resources department. The simple method of shutting your office door is a fourth option to deal with office noise. The fifth option is sending out an email to the appropriate supervisors outlining your position in the matter. A convenient alternative to email would be sending a memo. changing the office configuration. The ninth option would be to create your own personal, non offensive background noise. The last option is to initiate a non-aggressive conversation with someone.

- Frank Barnett