Noise and WFH

[LisaSimpson1984]

I’ve seen a few threads recently in which some posters have commented about noise (kids, dogs etc) and how annoying it is for those who are working from home. I also have a friend who never shuts up about this issue (the irony!). Someone on my local Facebook group was whinging about upcoming roadworks and “how are we supposed to work at home with that going on?”

Honestly. I think it’s absolutely not the problem or responsibility of other people to be quiet to accommodate people who might be working from home 🤷🏻‍♀️. I am quite baffled that some people seem to hold the view that it might be! I mean you need to be considerate of people around you generally, sure, but that’s always the case. WFH doesn’t change that, it surely doesn’t impose a higher standard of behaviour on those around a home worker??

I have been working from home since March 2020 and it doesn’t look like we are going back to the office (it’s still there but no expectation to go in as long as the work is done). I cannot quite believe my luck.

We live on a large newbuild estate, so there is a lot of noise through the day. It can get annoying when I’m trying to concentrate on something difficult, sure, but I accept it as part and parcel of living on an estate (and also the utter privilege of being able to work from home).

I used to work in an open plan office and it was noisy too. Swings and roundabouts really.

You're absolutely right, no one has a responsibility to facilitate other people wfh. However if it works for you, super.

I haven't see one of these threads for a while though in fairness
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I WFH but don't get bothered by noise because, as you say, the office is a lot noisier.

Some sorts of noise might be irritating though. A dog barking all day. Children scooting past your house for three hours...

I would always find these annoying. The difference is that you can't go out to escape it if you're working.

Absolutely agree with you! My job doesn't allow me to work from home. When I'm at home I'll mow my grass thanks - I will however be considerate. My next door neighbour is a household name and has had many tv interviews in their garden last couple of summers, if my kids are playing out in the garden I'm not sending them in , I would stop any shrieking (they don't) etc.

I completely agree. It's an aspect of the WFH rush that's happened that hasn't been considered.

I've arranged for sound proofing in my office at home to combat this as it's my issue to deal with not my neighbours.

I mean if a near neighbour is doing major building work it would be nice to be told before the first day so you can decide to work elsewhere. But other than that, it's just normal noise.

I think people have just forgotten how noisy the office actually was. Some noise is essential, essential road maintenance and road works need to take place. There's also reasonable noise like kids playing outside or next door or house DIY etc. I genuinely think people got used to the general quiet of lockdowns when WFH became what most people were doing and now they WFH full time they're not use to the usual sounds going on around us.

This moaning will likely only get worse as the temperature rises, windows are opened and the summer holidays start. There's plenty of ways to try and control what noise affects you including white noise, head phones, keeping windows shut and moving rooms.

I think it's about being considerate for others, not just those working from home, because some noise is expected but doesn't mean everything is acceptable. Dogs barking for 5 mins fine, dogs barking for 2 hours not fine. Kids scootering past your house to go to the park fine, kids scooter repeatedly past your house for 3 hours a day not fine.

I WFH even pre-pandemic, and often nights, trying to sleep in the day while the water board were digging up the road directly outside was a low point but you just have to crack on, the world doesn't resolve around one individual.

I'm working days atm, at my DMs house while work is being done on my flat. She's very rural and it's dead quiet, but yesterday the one neighbours with children were out screaming, actually screaming, for hours all afternoon. The noise went right through me and I struggled to concentrate. It's funny when I live in the city centre and everything just becomes background noise that I can block out, yet come to somewhere where the most you'll normally hear is a seagull and suddenly every shriek from an excited child is amplified.

Not complaining at all, kids are allowed to be kids, I was just amused by my reaction!

Just about to start a new job which is hybrid, I’ve previously not been able to wfh but I’m planning on turning the spare room into an office because it’s at the back of the house - we don’t have neighbours with young kids but we do have a retired man next door who likes to mow his lawn every day 😂 I hadn’t even considered these kinds of annoying noises until now!

YANBU
I’ve pretty much always WFH and live in a terrace. Neighbourhood noise is just part and parcel of that. It’s unreasonable to suggest neighbours should modify their lifestyles at home for my choices. The only time I’ve had any noise issue was when there was drilling in the party wall. So I drove to a supermarket and worked in my car. Mostly it’s easy to block it out. Noise cancelling headphones are also a great option.
on the other hand, when I worked in an office, I was near the corridor, the photocopier and the kitchen. FML it was noisy. Impossible to concentrate. I wasted so much time wandering around the building looking for a quiet space to work.

You get used to it.

I find it an odd things to complain about in some ways.

if you work in an office there’s other people making noises, could be work being done outside etc.

But I do think some neighbour noise could be a nightmare, regardless of the reason you are at home. A relentless barking dog for example. The owner needs to be doing something not because someone might be working from home, but because they have neighbours. Someone who live over the back from us, gets his BBQ out whenever there’s a warm Saturday. Then puts the music on loud and the screeches along with it until someone complains. I think he needs to pack that in because it means no one else can enjoy their garden. But not because anyone is wfh.

I don’t think anyone should accommodate neighbours wfh. But I do think they should be considerate neighbours.

I wfh and have the water board digging up the road out front. Just one of those things and I can tune it out. If some people can’t work with normal levels of neighbour noise, then they shouldn’t be wfh.

Even when dp is at home and I am working, all ia so is that he doesn’t walk straight into my office when the door is shut, in case I am on a call. But I don’t expect him and the teenagers to tip toe about and be silent. ITs just normal life wfh.

You are right about all of it. You can't expect the outside world to tip toe around during the day because you happen to have the luxury of working from home. Interestingly, I've never seen people who work night shifts complain about this. They just accept that while they need to sleep, most other people are up and about and make the most of it. I too have found that most offices are actually distractingly noisy and full of people finding reasons to have needless meetings. I'll take a kid on a scooter any day of the week over that.

Side note - I've never understood why anyone complains about road works. I mean, they do always appear to be "experts" on the subject and have their own reasons why it's all being done wrong but do they think councils, etc just dig up roads for fun?

Over the years of living in a Terraced house at least one or more of me and my neighbours have been working from home.
Building work happens around each others' schedules/deadlines (or we book space somewhere-remote/co-working space is popular in my town).

Use a decent headset for calls and consider spending a few £ on some noise cancelling software for computer/VOIP calls:

krisp.ai/blog/noise-cancelling-software-for-pc-to-remove-background-noise/

A bit of consideration from all sides can work wonders.

When I was in the office, there was always roadworks or renovations to the office above us or more offices being built at the back of ours. Plus my colleagues, I have some very loud colleagues. When I have been in the office I’ve struggled to adjust to the noise level in the office compared to home.

That being said, I live on a busy road and have dogs so I understand about noise but our neighbours are really inconsiderate. They moved out about 3 years. The house is still full with all their shit, their garden is overgrown and they come over to clear it occasionally which means making a lot of noise and it still looking like a hoarders paradise. It pissed me off when they would turn up and bang and scrape and swear when I was working. Firstly because they always did this when I was giving a presentation and secondly because they are just generally inconsiderate. Every nice day is ruined with them burning god knows what in their garden, swearing at their kids and what sounds like ramming furniture against the adjoining wall. They also have rodents and do nothing about it. We’ve had mice infestations twice in two years because of them and now they have rats in the garden. So the people who have noise issues probably have other issues with the noise makers.

I don't think it's a WFH issue necessarily , I think peoples consideration for others has reduced .

I'm of an age where we don't leave a dog barking in the garden , we don't have double exhausts or anti rocket fire modifications on our cars , don't have high decibel rows and rantings for all and sundry to hear .

Consideration is all we need .

I think there's a difference between inconsiderate noise and regular noise.

I object to the neighbours' dog which barks non-stop from about 5:15 am to early afternoon (and which can be heard when I'm on calls[. I also object to our other neighbours who are extremely loud and inconsiderate of everyone at all times. I guess they're not having sex as we hear absolutely everything else, even though they're not even on the same street.

I don't object to bin vans, deliveries, drains being unblocked, etc.

It's a matter of respect

IT'S MY LIFE. I'LL DO AS I PLEASE.

Thatcher's generation has come of age. There's no such thing as society...

Obviously you’d want neighbours to be considerate about noise in terms of things like not leaving a dog barking for hours at a time and not playing music so loud it makes your walls shake - but that applies at any time, not just when people are working at home.

Normal noise like lawnmowers, DIY, roadworks outside, kids playing in the garden, a dog that barks when the doorbell rings etc are not something anyone should be moaning about. They’re just the sounds of people living their normal lives.

Also, as you say, offices are pretty noisy places anyway.

I’ve always had a hybrid working pattern so I’ve always been used to home working. Lots of my colleagues and I actually make sure we have background noise when we’re at home - music, podcasts etc.

I agree. Noise pollution is a huge issue - obviously not as life-threatening as air pollution, but it can still have a major impact on mental and physical health.

People do not need to be noisy. Sometimes you have to use loud tools like a lawn mower but you don't have to have loud music or garden cinemas or let your children screech or shout at each other at garden parties when you could talk in a normal voice. The buzz of life is nice. Over the top noise is not.