Let’s face it: The open office can be a nightmare, especially when you’re working on something that requires your undivided attention. To make matters worse, your colleagues can be distracting — maybe they’re having loud conversations or their cell phones are constantly chirping. How can you make peace with your open office? How should you handle loud coworkers who are disturbing your focus? What’s the best way to cope with the noise and distractions in your office without coming across as antisocial or rude?
Staying Focused in a Noisy Open Office
The open office can sometimes be a nightmare — especially when you’re working on something that requires your undivided attention and your colleagues are chatty. For starters, try talking to your team to sync up expectations about how you can all work optimally in the open office. Develop some ground rules. For example, when one colleague is on the phone, the rest will only whisper. Second, invest in some noise-canceling headphones. These drown out unwanted noise and also serve as a visual cue to your colleagues that you’re not to be disturbed. Next, scout out a private, quiet space — an underutilized conference room, say — that will allow you to write and think free of distraction. Finally, if the noise is still a problem, ask your manager about moving desks. Don’t complain about your talkative coworkers. Instead, say that you’ll be more productive in a new space.