A cube of stress

Jan 16, 2009 07:04

I'll offer an apology for another bitching-about-work post, but it's people like Joel Spolsky what causes unrest.

Here was a post of his this week(  Read more )

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Comments 8

flybrain January 16 2009, 17:03:16 UTC
would anyone object if you use something like earphones/earplugs? they tried this with lab design and sorry to be crude, but i f***ing hate it. i completely agree with you that it is a stupid design.

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wurdsome January 16 2009, 17:25:37 UTC
I use foam ear-plugging block-everything-out earphones, but I think it should be reasonable to expect occasional stretches of silence. Music is nice and all, but earphones eventually get uncomfortable, and people shouldn't have to produce noise to cover up other noise.

My new nemesis is the slamming door, since it's percussive enough that earphones do nothing to block it out. Plus it's really f**king inconsiderate and there are too many guilty parties to ask them all to quit slamming the f**king door. I tried taking it into my own hands and put some felt pads in the doorframe, but it didn't help.

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flybrain January 16 2009, 17:38:00 UTC
bleh! maybe a sign on the door "Please close gently, door has a tendency to slam." or something to that effect? i had to put a sign on one of the freezers here "please close" because somehow that took too much energy for some people......

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wurdsome January 16 2009, 17:58:44 UTC
I may have to try the sign, but part of the problem is that this door is just designed to be as loud as possible. It's slamtastic. It's solid, has rattly hardware, and is adjacent to a stretch of hardwood rather than carpet to give the slam that extra little boost. Even if you make an effort to close it softly, it's not exactly quiet. I should just take the damn thing off the hinges.

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thefourthrow January 16 2009, 18:21:51 UTC
I totally agree with you. But, as someone with an office and a door that closes, I have to add that internet-based goofing off is a lot easier when no one else can see your monitor. Case in point: me right now.

I've actually found it ideal to be in an office with a closing door and one or two other office mates. But I do well with other people to "keep me honest," and yet when it's just a few people, there are frequent times when everyone shuts the hell up.

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wurdsome January 16 2009, 18:39:16 UTC
Yeah, there's always that. But I see that as something that's in my control. I can choose to be disciplined and not screw around at the internet (I can even try to say that with a straight face). When I need to do pretty much anything that requires extended concentration, I have to do it in an environment that nobody in their right mind would choose for the task.

I shouldn't have to consider asking the guy next to me not to tap on his desk. He should be able to tap all he wants if that's his thing, and I shouldn't have to hear him.

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