The ten most annoying workplace noises

Keep it down! New research has found that at least 80% of office workers are regularly distracted by annoying noises with the top ten bug bears being: conversations/gossip taking place nearby (42%); colleagues talking loudly on the phone (33%); coughing/sneezing/sniffing (38%); ringing phones and mobiles (28%); loud snacking, e.g. rustling crisp packets and noisy chewing (18%); whistling (17%); rhythmic tapping on a desk or the floor (15%); slamming doors (14%); music spilling out of headphones (14%); and loud typing (12%). A third of those questioned also claimed that they had been driven out of an office environment due to excessive noise at some point, with the local café or library being the favoured places of sanctuary.

Tip. Annoying noises hamper productivity but you shouldn’t single out a particular employee’s behaviour - the risk here is that you may cause offence or embarrassment. To get the message across to all staff, draw this top ten list to their attention in a light-hearted way along with a polite request that everyone considers the working environment.