People wearing ear plugs in the workplace

[PatriarchyPersonified]

I probably am being unreasonable but...

Random one this one. I work in an open plan office that probably contains about 30 people on a busy day, in an area the size of two tennis courts. (Roughly).

The only noise is normal day to day activity, low level conversations and the occasional phone call. No machinery or radios etc.

A person who has recently started working here has taken to wearing ear plugs in the office. (Think noise reducing in ear defender type things that are used by people who shoot) when asked why they said it "helps them concentrate".

Now I suppose that's fair enough but this has prompted a couple of other people to start doing the same thing, including wearing old fashioned ear defender type headsets (think 1960s headphones) that block out all external noise.

Now we have three or four (depending on the day) people who are completely cut off from everything but their screens, to the point where you have to wave a hand in front of their face if you want to offer them a tea.

It feels a bit, well, rude.

I feel sorry for the people who have to sit next to them, because they are effectively isolated from any human contact for the entire day.

I can't see it being a management issue, as I don't think they are doing anything wrong technically. But it is making some people feel uncomfortable in work.

Is this normal practice?

Whilst I have utmost sympathy to those suffering misophonia or any other kind of noise sensitivity, I think it undermines the point that PEOPLE ARE THERE TO WORK!

It's frankly weird to me to complain that a colleague is not fulfilling your social needs.

I am located in an open plan office, and the sound of other people working is a distraction, and so is the noise of them socialising. Fortunately we've worked to create a nice balance, and no one is so stupid as to think I'm rude for using earplugs to concentrate when I need to.

There are several yogurt pot scrapers in my office. People will also scrape cutlery against plates when eating lunch. There is also a loud person who “talks to the office”. She gets bbc news alerts on her phone and will read them out to the office to stimulate conversation. I am currently hot desking elsewhere and it has done wonders for my mental health

YABU. I hate open plan offices with a burning passion. If I could, I’d live in earplugs.

if the individual has ASD, then they can become overwhelmed by any noise around them. could be the heead phones help them concentrate and stay focussed.

I'm currently sat at work listening to music (with a background of whitenoise) to drown out the sniffer/throat clearer/tea slurper sitting next to me. Luckily I don't have to answer phones. She doesn't work Wednesdays thank God. I love Wednesdays.

Even with ear defenders on, i could still hear someone if they came and directly talked to me.
I suspect that if youre trying really hard to get someones attention, that they know youre there and actually dont want to talk to you or be disturbed

Noise cancelling earphones are great. I'm at work to work not to satisfy the social needs of extrovert colleagues l.

I'm going to look for earphones now because there's someone outside with a chainsaw chopping trees and it's wrecking my head.

I don't care if it's anti-social.

And one day I will be guilty of sniffocide.

I wear earphones (no music) at work sometimes to help me concentrate. (Open plan office here too). My manager encouraged it.

Why would be offering them tea? They are there to work and that is what they are doing-do you think that they are rude because they are better employees than you?

cat you have my favourite comment of the day! Wearing ear protection is better than murdering people.

I think it's rude and anti-social. Nobody in our office wears them and it wouldn't be accepted. Don't offer them a cup of tea, they can get their own if they're that uncommunicative.

I hate our open plan office. I deliberately wear headphones because of the constant interruptions, and so do some others. Those who don't, tend to be the people I am trying to avoid!

Work is for work, not for socialising.

I’m autistic, open plan places are awful, it’s impossible to concentrate.

It’s a pity lots of people focus on it being rude rather than accepting that people can do what they need to do to get on.

Oh I love my earbuds. This is the first place I've been able to wear them. I'm delighted, they help me so much.
I'm dreading leaving because every other office I've worked in hasn't allowed them. So much distraction.

I wore earplugs in an open plan office.

(I also went round and replaced all the clicky pens with plain biros - I also have misphonia)

I have Misophonia, I wear them, unless my fat heavy breathing colleague would be my dead fat heavy breathing colleague........can still hear conversation.

I don't understand the comments about being social and people chatting about all sorts of stuff, do people in offices not have work to do?
How can you afford the time to chatter?
i'd love a job like this, where are these offices?

You spend a lot of your time at work, if you can't even manage the social niceties with people you spend more time with than your partner then it's a poor old world. It doesn't mean you spend all day gossiping and not working.

I listen to my iPod sometimes and part of my job is to answer the phone!

I get absolutely shit loads done with music on in the background, so if I've got a mile long report to type up to a deadline in go the ear buds.

The boss doesn't care, so long as the work is done he's happy!

Ear defenders only take out around 25 decibels. You can still hear a lot of sound with them on. Having said that, it is not very good for your ears to wear earplugs/ ear defenders for prolonged periods when they are not necessary. It can cause tinnitus.

No need to mention your colleagues weight Lettuce

I wear headphones listening to music most of the day unless we are having a natter or discussing work, as do most of the office.

Always have done and it is pretty much the norm, but I work in CS.