Noisy Coworkers: The Result Of Cubicle World
Every office has them; whether large or small, everyone has to deal with noisy coworkers. So what do you do about it? The answer really is in what are you willing to do about it. Here are some practical tips for keeping your sanity and the office "peace", so that you won't become the office loser.
If you really want your noisy coworkers to tone down their noise levels, you need to figure out why and when they are noisy. Noisy coworkers are often clueless about their noise volume or noise habits that are obnoxious to those around them. Others may be more intentional in wanting to annoy or bother people with their noise.
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 second type is much harder to deal with; these are the people who want to be the center of attention. Often the person is trying to get noticed so that they can move up the ladder of success.
With this type of person there is no other way to handle but to try to talk to them. It has to be taken to the management if talking to them do not solve the problem as the person has to do his work. The loss in production that the company is facing due to this employee, the individual is not the only person who is concerned.
Every office has to deal with coworkers who are loud. What can be done about this? One solution to this issue is to use sound masking materials in your office structure. Noisy Coworkers have to be confronted as they do not realize that their habits are triggering a negative reaction. These people often feel that the noise they are making is far less disturbing than the usual office noise that occurs on a regular basis. A perfect example of this is the person that will sit at their desk and sniffle all day instead of stepping away and blowing their nose to take care of the issue.
Published May 28th, 2008
Filed in Career