Published on 12, July, 2020
Gahhhh! People in offices who yammer on on the telephone and then put the phone down and have to tell anyone who will listen word for word what they said to the other person on the phone and what they said and why! And who feel that it's acceptable to have a conversation on a speaker phone in an open office, and have all of the "PING!" / "WHEEEE!" / "TADAAAA!" notification noises turned on and up on their mobile.
I know it's bad, but I've started doing this:
Other people: "Morning!" Me: "Morning!"
Other: "Good weekend?" Me: "Yes, thanks.".
Them: "Um....errr....good".
<pause>
Them "Go anywhere nice?" Me: "Yep; home."
Me: *Makes coffee*
#SorryNotSorry
I totally agree - why put your call on speaker phone if no one else needs to hear the conversation or take part it in? Now we can't think straight because of their conversation which is of no relevance or interest to us! I have had my mobile phone on silent mode for the past 10 years because I just can't cope with the beeps/rings etc when you receive a message or call. Not only does this benefit me but also anyone around me. Unfortunately, most people are not considerate of these things (although they probably don't find the noise as painful to be fair).
Could you wear ear plugs in the office? I am looking to get some but worried I will draw more attention to myself if they are visible.
Yes I agree. I wonder if our sensitivities tend to make us super-considerate?
Yep I do wear earplugs, both passive and noise cancelling, with music / white noise in varying combinations.
I'm beyond worrying about drawing attention with them - I'd be happy with a big neon sign saying "Look! I'm wearing these because of you, you noisy b****!" :-)
I think we are super-considerate, because we notice the small details that can make a lot of difference.
You're right - why am I worrying about what other people will think about me wearing ear plugs when they have no concern at all about what I think about their unnecessary noise? I will refrain from the neon sign thanks, but do you have any recommendations for a good pair of noise cancelling ear plugs?
I can vouch for those too - best £25 I ever spent. The *only* downside I've found with them is that if you walk around with them in your ears you can hear your footsteps reverberate through your head a bit as the metal weighty end wobbles a bit when your feet land (mine do anyway!). But it's well worth it to be able to walk through a restaurant or office without everyone's words tumbling into your ears like leaves in a rainstorm falling into an unfiltered storm drain!
I think the Flare Isolate plugs will be more in my price range, and I'm only really after noise cancelling not ability to play music as well. Just had a quick look online and the reviews seem to be good. That's really helpful information, thank you.
I will think of your neon sign when I wear them!