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Cube Farm Chatter 1

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MadMango

MadMango

Mechanical
May 1, 2001
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I work in a Cube Farm, I’m sure like many of you do. Even though I may have an "office" the walls do not reach the drop-down ceiling, and I can hear every single conversation. Normal chatter does not bother me, its just another form of white noise that I have come to live with. I do however get very annoyed with my immediate neighbors.

To my left are two full-time consultants. They are in the office 80% of the time. When they are gone, things are peaceful, but when they are in, things get very noisy. They are constantly on the phone, or babbling to each other or suppliers. The hard part is they are both French-Canadians, and when they speak French, it cuts through the office ambiance like a klaxon.

My right-hand neighbor has a "the sky is falling" attitude, and everything that comes across his desk, he must comment on, and never in a positive manner. He can never start any work without discussing the real and his perceived issues surrounding his work. I think his opinions are way off base, and he is ill informed. He has not demonstrated the ability to whisper. I think his vitriol has a strong chance of infecting others, and affecting morale.

I only feel comfortable in turning up my computers speakers to a level that isn’t quite enough to drown them out completely. I fear since others don’t have the luxury of speakers at their cubicles, they are also dealing with this audible assault. I’ve tried talking to our Department Head, but the issue is written off as, "Well, that’s just the way they are" or "Buy a set of headphones."

How have or would you handle this situation?

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

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Learn enough French to interrupt the consultants frequently. Don't worry about the accent. Be sure you do a good job butcherng the language. Francophones hate that.

Remind your "doomsday" neighbor to use his "inside" voice. Be as condescending as possible.
 
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I listen to my iPod all day at work. I have to. It drives me crazy trying to work hearing people eat, cell phones ringing different loud tones, pc speakers playing stupid sound fx every time a mouse button is pressed. and conversations on speaker phones.
We need a cone of silence for cubicles!

Chris
SolidWorks 07 3.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 03-26-07)
 
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I have the same problem. Not only do I hear French, but also Spanish conversations, or should I say Spanglish. The Spanglish kills me 'cause just before I get to the point of tuning it out I hear an English word, and I try decrypting the conversation. I was thinking of bringing in headphones but, call me old-school I'm afraid it might not look professional. Who am I kidding my wrinkled jeans do a good job of that. I think I'll have to ctopher's advice and bring in an mp3 player.

Failure is a prerequisite of successful design
 
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I have similar problems and from the point of view of some around me am probably a contributor. I sit in a large 'cube' with 7 others and it's 'team' environment so we'll often hear someone elses conversation and chime in (I think I do this too much though, a habit I'm trying to break).

I sometimes wear headphones but it sometimes means I miss out on things.

One thing I sometimes do is work when others aren't around. This works for me as I work away from home and cram my 40+ into 4 days so it's not like by coming in at odd hours I'm missing time with my family.

I often find the first hour or two in the morning if I come in early or the hours in the evening if I stay late or come back in are the most productive.

Of course for most people this isn't a realistic option. Certainly if I wasn't away from home anyway I wouldn't be coming back in in the evening.
 
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Find out from the HR when you can turn on your radio at a reasonable volume. I think many places, it is from nine to eleven.
 
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I've often found the direct approach to be the best. Just explain to them that they are being loud and you find it distracting. For whatever reason, some people automatically raise their voice when on the phone, and often don't realise they are doing so. Try and make a joke out of it, but also let them know that it seriously distracts you.

If they persist after your request then more drastic measures may be required ... like holding a very loud but fake phone conversation yourself ... or pulling the phone plug out of the socket.

As for the "doom and gloom" character ... just mimmick or mock his ways; again making light of it. Hopefully he will quit if he knows you are not buying it.

Be sincere to both parties. To paraphrase someone else here ... if you can fake sincerity, you've got it made.

[cheers]
SW07-SP3
 
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They are just being inconsiderate/rude.

Next time your phone rings (or arrange for a similarly bothered colleague to call you at an opportune time), answer along the following lines, in a loud voice of course (add a hint of exasperation for effect): "Hello...Hello, sorry I can't hear you over the noise in the office. Can you talk a little louder? Nope thats not enough - tell you what, if you can hear me, call me back in 10 minutes when I am SURE it will be quieter"

Alternatively, if your phone has a loudspeaker, switch it on (loud settings) so that your noisy colleagues can hear both sides of you conversation and see if this generates any response.
 
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In agreement with several of the previous posters, I would probably first shift my hours a bit for having time in the office when the neighbors are not there. I have been in the cube farm for most of my career and found that I get my best work done when others are not around. I save that time for my "critical" work. Headphones are another useful option as well as scheduling yourself into a conference room (if available) for a one person meeting.

I am not sure you can directly affect the behavior of your neighbors. You can try to ask them to keep it down to a dull roar but remember, they are not beholden to anything beyond what is in their contract. They are also likely spending time making future contacts for work if/when the existing job is completed.

Regards,
 
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I also share the same problem that FinTom raises. I thought the Spanglish issue just came with the territory when working in Southern California. I’m glad it’s not just me. I have actually talked with both neighbors in the past.

The consultants have apologized on several occasions during the past year, but the problem continues. I don’t feel like wasting my time on a "noise war" with them, as no one will benefit. I also understand their need to conduct their business, and understand their preference to talk amongst themselves in their native tongue. If it were up to me, I’d sequester them away in a hard-walled office.

The other neighbor, Mr. Negative, I have tried to talk with also. I have tried several approaches:
1) Co-conspirator- I’m with you, but perhaps you should keep your comments private
2) Concerned Friend- I know what you are saying, but if you don’t hush, someone may hear what you are saying and you may find yourself looking for new employment
3) Neutral Friend- If you are so unhappy, look for a new job and quit whining
4) Supervisor (I’m not his)- You raise some great points, why don’t you share them with your manager

This usually works for several days, until a new issue creeps across his desk, and he gets fired-up again. Telecommuting, headphones and cones of silence are impractical.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
 
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Mango,

Get your rifle and let the Archangel guide your hand. These people are draggin down your productivity, they deserve no less. [tongue]

I personally sit in my cube and scream "Serenity Now!!! or No Damien, I'm not! They are nice people.", it seems to quiet the chatter quickly.

Headphones saved my (and their) life.

Frank "Grimey" Grimes
Rule 25. of Swanson's "Unwritten Rules of Management"
Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.
 
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Ah Dilbert, I sometimes wonder if reference to Dilbert shouldn't be the first post for pretty much any post in this forum.

MadMango, may sound silly but what type of cubes are they? Are they 'soft' so that they absorb some of the noise or are yours like mine. My 'walls' date back to the 70's and are bare metal. They do nothing to damp the noise so it's even worse than a regular cube. Plus the sound bounces off them so you can't always tell where it's coming from.

WARNING SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC

One of the guys in my cube has diabetes and very occasionally has trouble. Although he's in my cube he's hidden behind a partition and I can't actually see him.

One lunch time I heard the dead sound of a phone, you know "beep, beep, beep". I looked around to see what happened but it sounded like it was coming from the opposite direction to where he sits so I didn’t' even look in his direction.

Turns out he's started passing out while on the phone to a vendor. Fortunately the vendor realized something was wrong and called back to reception. Reception asked around to find out who he was and where he sat and eventually found the director of engineering who knew.

The first I know of any problem was the Director coming by my cube asking what was going on with the guy! He ended up going to hospital. If I'd noticed earlier and got him to drink some juice he probably would have been fine!

BACK ON TOPIC

So back on topic, maybe you could put some sound absorbing material/structure around. I doubt it would help much but it's an idea.
 
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