Noise as a stressor
I struggle with getting my work done because of shared office noise. As each of us gets out of a class, talking to relieve stress and being friendly ensues while others are prepping for their courses. In addition, some instructors have hearing deficits and are unaware that their chatter under their breath, whistling, tapping,... is quite audible to others. I have tried talking to the instructors about it. It gets better for a short time. I have used an i-pod to filter out the noise and now have moved my desk further away from them. I wish I could concentrate on my work with noises!
Noise is definitely a problem in our workspace. We share cubicles and can hear everyone's phone calls, conversations with students/co-workers, etc. Especially annoying are the faculty who only use speaker phone!
I agree, as students are walking up and down the hallways my office is right there, it is so distracting. I also like to have an open door at all times for student needs, but at times I must close the door in order to concentrate
Maureen, Noises can be a major source of stress. This is true of loud noises but also subtle and persistent ones. I like your approach of reaching out and talking to people about your needs. Sometimes, to your point, people just don't realize how loud they are. Bringing in your own white noise is also a smart solution as a last resort.
Dr. Melissa Read
