3 ms·

I don't think he meant 3-5 people working in a space the size of a one person office. If that is what he meant, you are right. Otherwise, if the space is big as

by rocha 15y ago

I don't think he meant 3-5 people working in a space the size of a one person office. If that is what he meant, you are right. Otherwise, if the space is big as 5 small offices, it does not sound bad.

mindcrime 15y ago
You may be right. One of the companies I used to work for was cheap enough to try a stunt like that, so I'm a bit biased when I hear people talking about putting 3-5 people in one room.
nknight 15y ago
Oh yes it does. I probably caused measurable damage to my hearing trying to block out the conversations with headphones+music. It was horrific.
- jim_h 15y ago
  I agree. Even with my nice sound isolating earbuds (Shure), it doesn't block out all the external sounds unless I set the volume higher than I would like. While playing music on headphones can help block out conversations, it is still a distraction. It's just not as annoying as hearing other people talk.
  - hartez 15y ago
    And they've never invented (to my knowledge) smell-canceling headphones. I've worked in places where it was an issue. And it's a very difficult one to address. "Please be quieter" is much more socially acceptable than "Please use deodorant".
    - dsr_ 15y ago
      There are two ways to handle this reasonably gracefully, and a lot of ways that suck. 1. In private, tell the person "I don't think your deodorant is working well enough. Just thought you ought to know." 2. Go to their manager, and have the manager say pretty much the same thing, not mentioning that anyone but the manager noticed anything. Almost anything else comes off as boorish.
    - yxhuvud 15y ago
      If smell is a problem then you are sitting way too tight. An open room needs plenty of space.
- wpietri 15y ago
  For me it depends entirely on the type of conversation. I don't mind if it's done at moderate volume and is relevant to the work at hand. Indeed, I like those kinds of conversation to happen around me; the ambient information lets me have a better feel for how the project is going. It's only when it's irrelevant or loud that I'd want headphones. So we just kick that kind of conversation out of the team room.

by rocha 15y ago

mindcrime 15y ago

You may be right. One of the companies I used to work for was cheap enough to try a stunt like that, so I'm a bit biased when I hear people talking about putting 3-5 people in one room.

nknight 15y ago

Oh yes it does. I probably caused measurable damage to my hearing trying to block out the conversations with headphones+music. It was horrific.

jim_h 15y ago
I agree. Even with my nice sound isolating earbuds (Shure), it doesn't block out all the external sounds unless I set the volume higher than I would like. While playing music on headphones can help block out conversations, it is still a distraction. It's just not as annoying as hearing other people talk.
- hartez 15y ago
  And they've never invented (to my knowledge) smell-canceling headphones. I've worked in places where it was an issue. And it's a very difficult one to address. "Please be quieter" is much more socially acceptable than "Please use deodorant".
  - dsr_ 15y ago
    There are two ways to handle this reasonably gracefully, and a lot of ways that suck. 1. In private, tell the person "I don't think your deodorant is working well enough. Just thought you ought to know." 2. Go to their manager, and have the manager say pretty much the same thing, not mentioning that anyone but the manager noticed anything. Almost anything else comes off as boorish.
  - yxhuvud 15y ago
    If smell is a problem then you are sitting way too tight. An open room needs plenty of space.
wpietri 15y ago
For me it depends entirely on the type of conversation. I don't mind if it's done at moderate volume and is relevant to the work at hand. Indeed, I like those kinds of conversation to happen around me; the ambient information lets me have a better feel for how the project is going. It's only when it's irrelevant or loud that I'd want headphones. So we just kick that kind of conversation out of the team room.