I hate Ipods and headsets in the office 1

[langleymass]

Let me start out by saying that I have no problem with people listening to music in the workplace. I have noticed an enormous difference in my enjoyment of a job based on this.

But I am starting to hate Ipods and anything with headsets. It seems that more and more often, I approach someone to speak with him. He then removes his ear plug and says: "What?" I then repeat what I had just said.

It is obvious that headsets are an impediment to getting things done. What does everyone else think?

 

[svanels]

Let me start out by saying that I have no problem with people listening to music in the workplace

I have !!! Depending on the place I am. The most annoying things I can imagine are mobile phones in the workplace.

Steven

 

[RoyVidar]

It is obvious that headsets are an impediment to getting things done." - I do not necessarily agree.

That you have to repeat a question after not seing that the person you spoke to used a headset, does not necessarily mean that things doesn't get done.

For some people it is a necessity to shut off some of the background noice to be able to work efficiently.

Roy-Vidar

 

[BJCooperIT]

The simple solution is to get the person's attention first - then deliver your message.

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
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[zeitghost]

Reminds me of a boss I had about 14 years ago.

Didn't like me giggling at some Blaster Bates tapes I was listening to on a Walkman during my daily tedium, so he stopped me using it.

Improved productivity no end.

Not.

 

[chiph]

It seems that more and more often, I approach someone to speak with him.

It's been often quoted that any interruption, no matter how trivial, causes at least a 15 minute delay for the programmer to get back into the groove of what they were working on. If they get interrupted every 20 minutes, that means they're only getting 15 minutes worth of work done out of each hour. Not so good!

You might want to use email instead of walking over to them. That allows them to answer you when they come up for air, so they get more done during the day.

2nd best solution would be to use instant messenger. I personally find it less intrusive than someone tapping me on the shoulder, and less chance of the conversation drifting onto non-productive topics.

Chip H.


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[SemperFiDownUnda]

What BJCooperIT said.
I have my earphones on constantly with either music playing or listening to articles being read out via text to speech.

Why? Because if I didn't a guy 10 feet away from me would be dead because he's constantly eating apples and other things. While this isn't bad he's the loudest eater I've ever seen even with his mouth closed. Chewing with your mouth open makes my skin crawl and him chewing with his mouth closed is just as loud.

People know if they approach me that I'll take off my ear phones and don't talk to me until I do.



Hope I've been helpful,
Wayne Francis

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[Dollie]

It's one thing for a programmer, database analyst or something of that nature to have a headset on. It's another when the receptionist does....

 

[Glenn9999]

Yes, usually something like a headset is required to filter out the daily noises. Especially in an environment where you're stuck into a big cube farm.

It's distracting to hear the guy next to you munching on his apple early out of his lunch, the guy across from him cursing under his breath about some code, the woman across from you in a phone call where you can hear every word she says clearly. The persons on the other side aren't exactly in their cubes doing things, but they're all congregated in the cube behind you discussing some part of their project. Then on top of that, the noises that come from the other cubicles that are 2 "blocks" away carry over to you too. Then there's always some loud HVAC device that kicks in so you can't hear yourself think past all these other distractions.

Headsets are about all one can do in this kind of situation, except stress out trying to find some kind of peace and quiet so they can get their work done.

A good statement on the problems with cube farms as well.

 

[LFI]

I don't mind people listening to headsets. I do it too.

What DOES irk me is when you're talking to someone and they don't take off the headsets. They might have the music low enough so that they can talk to you without any problem, but for some reason, it still gets to me.

Also, sometimes one of these people gets up and goes for a drink of water with their ipod in their shirt pocket and their ear-buds still in. Again, it might be irrational, but this gets to me as well!

Anyone else feel the same, or should I make an appointment with my shrink?

Dave


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O Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I use headphones at work quite often. I have a pretty large cube and face away from the 'doorway'. This might seem über-dorky, but I have a little convex mirror in place so I can see when someone walks up behind me. It avoids the awkward scenario where someone can't get my attention.

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[SantaMufasa]

While we are on this topic, I'd like to share an additional aspect of workplace distraction (which, by the way, headphones help to manage): telephone conversations.

It is virtually impossible to ignore nearby telephone conversations in any open-workplace environment that does not have some sort of sound-reduction engineering (such as walls). I wish that companies would equip their open-bay telephones with insulated voice-privacy cones into which one speaks (similar to the "reverse-megaphone-looking" privacy cone (that covers the nose and mouth), which foreign-language-translation personnel use during their work in an open, multi-lingual environment). That way, phone conversations remain private and non-intrusive to co-workers.

What think ye?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
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[lespaul]

Dave, did you get a cube farm with phones set up in your house???? How exactly are YOU affected by this issue!!

I would rather have them use earphones/headsets. One person in our cube farm plays her music through the PC speakers and my cube bounces from the bass!!

Leslie

Anything worth doing is a lot more difficult than it's worth - Unknown Induhvidual

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[SF0751]

THIS is interesting - a device to keep cubicle-farm conversations private (and, perhaps, less annoying to co-workers?).

Susan
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

 

[MikeLacey]

That just has to be a joke; no one would really buy that. Surely.

Mike

I am not inscrutable.

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[sleipnir214]

"In essence, Babble turns you into a small crowd

A room with a dozen of these running should be fun.

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TANSTAAFL!!

 

[MikeLacey]

The product is called Babble, an exceptionally apt name.

[Babble] provides true voice confidentiality by rearranging the phonemes of your voice and transmitting, in real time, with your spoken voice.

"In essence, [it] turns you into a small crowd--and changes how other people hear your voice," he added. "The result is that those outside your workspace cannot understand your actual spoken words."

Priceless!


Mike

I am not inscrutable.

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[SantaMufasa]

Dave, did you get a cube farm with phones set up in your house???? How exactly are YOU affected by this issue!!

Good question, Les...Actually the issue of telephone noise is one of the things that drove me from an office environment back to my home office...With the reduction in distractions (which appear collectively in all of the previous posts) and by trading in a physical commute for a tele-commute each day, my productivity has increased enormously and still leaves me enough time to respond to Tek-Tips threads.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[Dollie]

I think instead of "Babble" I would rather use one of Maxwell Smart's "Privacy Cones".

http://ordinaryleastsquare.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/getsmart.jpg

And maybe one of those neat shoe phones....

 

[Phil5673]

As a developer, I find it difficult to do my programming work unless I have headphones on to shut out the noise of a work environment. I do my utmost to remove them quickly when someone needs to speak with me.

Phil