Noisy Coworkers: 5 Ways To Deal With It

Everyone encounters noisy coworkers in their jobs, at some point in time. We try to handle these people by asking them nicely to be quiet, but this doesn’t always work. Other times, we may enlist the help of others in our quest. By trying only a few easy things, we can better deal with our noisy coworkers.

Wear Headphones – headphones that provide sound canceling are better, but are costly. If you want the low cost options, you can go for low-tech options. In-ear buds, over-ear headphones help you by covering either your ears or the ear passage so that you filter out interruptions. You can try music for lowering your stress levels or for helping you to focus , but remember music with lyrics may distract you.

Get a personal white noise machine – There is a big variety of these products to help one obtain speech privacy in an open office. They range from really cheap CDs which loop a white noise soundtrack to a high quality, multi channel product made to accommodate buildings and offices. The best answer for you depends partly upon how much space you wish to treat. Find a Quiet Space – Many offices have unused conference rooms, which make very good spots if you need to escape from your office banter and focus on your work.

Discuss any concerns in a meeting with a supervisor, offering some constructive ideas – The creation of a team or an office-wide noise management policy will usually be very effective and helpful. But take care to avoid using a meeting to gripe about coworkers, since this isn’t the right forum for that and it might cost you your credibility. Bear in mind that you are concerned for your team and trying to make a work environment that is more productive and comfortable for everyone. Griping will only make the situation sound like a personal one.

Share your concerns with the noisy coworker-This can be difficult, and should obviously be well-thought-out.Ask to speak with the noisy coworker in private, and be direct. Don’t hint, but be tactful. After all, you do have to work with this person! Above all, avoid the "backdoor approach" of making sarcastic comments in front of other team members. Such a passive-aggressive approach generally only offends noisy coworkers and in the end is rarely effective.

There is no need to grind your teeth. Discussing potential speech privacy issues as soon as they arise might reduce stressful situations. After all, your office space and surrounding area, not just your office equipment, have to be taken into consideration.

Noisy coworkers can be a part of everyone’s working life. In some instances a kind request to keep the noise down will do the trick; in others, this route won’t do any good. Oftentimes assistance from others can be very helpful. Sound masking canceling headphones work well for this, but they are usually pretty pricey. Get a personal white noise machine. There are lots of these products to help one obtain speech privacy in an open office. Above all, don’t just sit there and grit your teeth. There’s more to the "tools of the trade" than just a computer and a telephone.