Just last week, I published an article on a disadvantage of open-spaced offices. In that article, I looked at it from the perspective of the office being too quiet.

Yes, you read that right; too-quiet, because that’s a thing! You can read the article here.

I’d be a bad writer, and be one-sided if I didn’t acknowledge that it could go both ways. An open-spaced office can also result to a noisy workplace and I read some comments from readers that thought so too.

So, this post will be all about the opposite. It’ll be about how to maintain your sanity in a noisy lousy office because it could be distracting too.

If there is something about the noise in your office that irks you, then this post is certainly for you!

As much as I wrote about a too-quiet office, I’m not a fan of a noisy office either. In fact, I would wish that the office noise/ quiet remains moderate, but how can you define that fine line between the workplace being too quiet or too noisy?

It can be difficult to get that balance, especially because the workplace is an environment where we come across different people with varying orientation.

See these useful tips below.

1. Headphones will always come to the rescue

This can be a difficult one because you are trying to reduce the noise, but headphones always seem to do the magic of giving one that stillness amidst the noise or even music. In my last post, the earphones were also listed. It goes both ways.

Using a headphone helps to block out the office chatter or gossip and gives the impression that you don’t want to be involved in the discussion because you are occupied with work.

However, be careful and don’t use headphones to zone off entirely out of work. You want to be easily accessible to reach out to. You don’t want to have colleagues yell out your name a trillion times before you are able to respond.

Also, for health benefits, don’t have the volume on the loudest and try to not get too addicted to always having headphones. Give your ears a break sometimes!

2. Get yourself a quiet haven

This would fit in perfectly if your workspace has some other rooms that can be empty at some time of the day. A conference room, an empty spare room, an unused office, a small hallway that’s rarely used, you name it!

If you know that time of the day that your workspace is usually noisy, this place can come to the rescue. It will be a good place to take some calls if needed or do some brainstorming.

3. Take a walk

Taking a walk has always been one great remedy to almost everything. I remember a friend telling me that she would go to a quiet room to feel calm and to think clearly.

Taking a walk gives that same effect or feeling. From my research, I understand that some employees feel guilty for doing this, but it shouldn’t be.

If for anything, look at it as a way to get your creative side and you can take a walk during lunch hours to get refreshed and take a break from the clamor of the office.

4. Give a gentle reminder

Most often, people don’t realize how lousy they are being. If other tips fail in helping you out, especially when you have a deadline to meet, don’t be afraid to give them a gentle reminder.

Do so with a smile and don’t be rude about it. A better approach will be to join in on the conversation for a while, and then tell them to tone down the noise as you would like to continue with what you are currently working on.

You should be willing to show genuine respect and concern for their discussion so that you don’t appear to be offensive. This way, they may also remember that they have other stuff to do as well.

5. Work from home once in a while

This would apply if you are allowed to work from home. But, it’s certainly a way to get away from the noise even before it happens.

If you are working on a project and you foresee that there may be so much noise from the office which could affect your productivity or cause a delay in your schedule then you may speak with your boss to work from home.

I have a friend who prefers to work from home because she is more productive at home. Again, different strokes for different folks.

But, it all ties down to the benefits you derive from your job. Even at that, I’m positive that a good boss will not see any harm in you working from home, as long as you explain to him/ her and deliver a good job within time.

Otherwise, you can go out to a coffee shop or cafeteria and work from there for some hours. It may be a little bit noisy, but it sure may not feel as the noise of the office.  Also, you wouldn’t be involved in any discussions since they would all be strangers to you.

Working in a noisy office can help in increasing your creativity. I’ve once worked in a noisy office and it was fun to share ideas on any matter at hand. It also builds that team spirit and you get to know more about your colleagues.

But when it because so much noise, damaging enough to suck out your inspiration and productivity, then these tips could come in handy.

Do you have other tips to share on how you work in a noisy workplace? Please share below in the comment section.

by Zinny
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