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I'm definitely sensitive to noises and am a stereotypical introvert. One thing they didn't mention that gets me is not related to noise. It's privacy. I have a

by hnick 7y ago

I'm definitely sensitive to noises and am a stereotypical introvert. One thing they didn't mention that gets me is not related to noise. It's privacy. I have an extremely strong innate need for privacy and I'm not sure where that comes from. I never liked sharing personal details or preferences (like favourite bands), and the idea of someone watching me work just makes me uneasy. It's not even a fear of being caught out avoiding work. I'll happily sit there and read HN in full sight. It's just off-putting and distracting and makes it hard to do real work so anything that takes my attention away will win. My current workplace has low-walled shared cubicles which is at least better than the big no-barrier desks I see at startups. Barely.

xvector 7y ago
You're me. Our new office has glass walls. Makes me feel uneasy.
john-radio 7y ago
I have this quality too and I'm surprised it isn't more common. Maybe people don't like to talk about it because we're worried people will think that we have something to hide. I don't even like to have conversations about more-than-superficial topics in crowded places. If a restaurant seats me across the table from my dining partner but elbow-to-elbow with random other diners at parallel tables, I will hate it and never return.
- hnick 7y ago
  You just made me realise that it might be related to why I like to sit on the same side of the table as my wife when going out (apart from easier food-sharing). I think there's this interplay between privacy and intimacy. I don't want to give too much to strangers but want to get close when I decide to.
abawany 7y ago
Another one here - it feels like a violation when some random stranger asks where I work during a casual/one-time business transaction.
flukus 7y ago
> the idea of someone watching me work just makes me uneasy. Isn't this nearly universal? Aside from some exhibitionists no one speaks about that "feeling of being watched" in a positive light and there are all sorts of social norms developed around how long it's appropriate to stare at someone, the people that stray beyond these norms are generally labeled as creepy. There's also the extra visual stimulus of people moving around, headphones don't solve either of these problems.
- hnick 7y ago
  I think most parts of the human condition are universal, it's just how far you have it dialled up or down personally. I've never heard anyone else complain about it from a privacy perspective IRL, but office noise gets a lot of attention, as does visual noise like you mention. FWIW it's not the idea of being watched by someone in particular that bothers me, it's just that I feel much more comfortable in a room with a door closed. It's more of a security/safety/comfort thing.

by hnick 7y ago

xvector 7y ago

You're me. Our new office has glass walls. Makes me feel uneasy.

john-radio 7y ago

I have this quality too and I'm surprised it isn't more common. Maybe people don't like to talk about it because we're worried people will think that we have something to hide. I don't even like to have conversations about more-than-superficial topics in crowded places. If a restaurant seats me across the table from my dining partner but elbow-to-elbow with random other diners at parallel tables, I will hate it and never return.

hnick 7y ago
You just made me realise that it might be related to why I like to sit on the same side of the table as my wife when going out (apart from easier food-sharing). I think there's this interplay between privacy and intimacy. I don't want to give too much to strangers but want to get close when I decide to.

abawany 7y ago

Another one here - it feels like a violation when some random stranger asks where I work during a casual/one-time business transaction.

flukus 7y ago

> the idea of someone watching me work just makes me uneasy. Isn't this nearly universal? Aside from some exhibitionists no one speaks about that "feeling of being watched" in a positive light and there are all sorts of social norms developed around how long it's appropriate to stare at someone, the people that stray beyond these norms are generally labeled as creepy. There's also the extra visual stimulus of people moving around, headphones don't solve either of these problems.

hnick 7y ago
I think most parts of the human condition are universal, it's just how far you have it dialled up or down personally. I've never heard anyone else complain about it from a privacy perspective IRL, but office noise gets a lot of attention, as does visual noise like you mention. FWIW it's not the idea of being watched by someone in particular that bothers me, it's just that I feel much more comfortable in a room with a door closed. It's more of a security/safety/comfort thing.