Noisy Coworkers - Know How To Handle Them.
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.
Noisy colleagues in the work place usually do not even know they are being noisy. Some of them may just have bad habits, while others just want to annoy their colleagues with no particular reason. In order to stop these people from being noisy, you need first to know what triggers their annoying actions.
First you will have to confront those that are causing distractions but don't realize that their habits are triggering a negative reaction. These types of 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 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 people who are looking to be the center of attention are much harder to deal with. Moving up the ladder of success is the goal of the person, so attention is something that are trying to attract.
This kind of individual doesn't leave you with many coping options aside from trying to achieve a meaningful dialogue. If that turns out to be fruitless, you will have to discuss the situation with a manager. Let's face it, you will still be expected to perform your functions. And you may just find that, given the productivity-hampering activities of this difficult colleague, there may be other co-workers who are just as distressed as you are.
Loud coworkers are a common issue in many workplaces today. However, there are a couple different solutions that can be undertaken that will help you maintain your sanity in a room full of noisy coworkers. Office noise can be easily prevented by simply speaking to the co-workers. Often, they don't know that they are being noisy, but indicating this to them can often get them to stop. Sound masking may be required on your end to ensure that the noise isn't overwhelming. Ultimately, the person that you're dealing with may be unconcerned with their noise, so telling them about what they're doing may be necessary to quiet your workplace.
Published May 28th, 2008
Filed in Business
