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Comment by irrational | Hacker News Reader

When my company moved to an open office plan we, the developers, tried to argue that we needed the ability to concentrate and that this would hinder that. We were told that every job required concentration and that we shouldn't be such prima donnas who think we are special snowflakes. Someday I'm going to get a special snowglobe and shove it down the throat of the sales lady who sits next to me who holds conference calls all day long from her desk.

Unfortunately I love everything else about my job so I'm disinclined to move on.

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> the sales lady who sits next to me who holds conference calls all day long from her desk

I've had this situation in the past a few times and to some degree today. If we have to have open office plans then at least take some effort into grouping "talkers" together away from "heads down" people.

Is that so hard? There's no real economic argument, as it's just putting some thought into where people sit. There's no collaboration argument, because people on the same team would site together. Etc. From the reactions when I've brought it up, that's a completely unreasonable request. The whole idea than anyone's productivity might benefit from a quiet work environment seems to make management/HR upset.

Seems your wrath is better aimed at those who implemented an open floor plan, not the lady doing her job.

Well, I'd never be able to find the people who implemented the open floor plan. That's one of the problems with huge companies - the guilty are to often anonymous ;-)

The problem with the sales person is that there are room set aside for making phone calls (whether personal or business) and there are always some available, but apparently that is entirely too unreasonable to expect someone with a laptop to go find a room instead of letting everyone in a 30 foot radius listen in on the call.

Have you asked her?

Good question. In the past we've had some issues with this, and it's possible to mildly influence volume and "out in public" call frequency downward by asking. But it requires a combination of a thick hide and some institutional status to make it happen. If the person you are asking is a peer or a senior, forget it.

Yes. She doesn't care.

Ah, should have assumed you already did your homework. Sounds rough man, sorry.

Escalate to your manager, he should have a chat with her manager.

It's not that simple. She has been around a long time and even though she isn't a manager, seniority goes a long way at my company. My manager has mentioned it to her, but realistically that's as far as he can take it.

Ask for a place farther from her, perhaps switching with some other talkative colleague in a better spot. If manager rises eyebrows, argue that she is too loud and inconsiderate(unscrupulous) to other people. Even better if more colleagues share this view, make a move together.

I feel your pain.

Few years ago my company switched to an open office layout. There was a temporary arrangement issue, so I had to sit in the sales section of the floor for a few weeks. I don't think I accomplished a single thing the entire time I was there. Constant phone calls, loud talking across multiple rows of desks. It was like that scene in the movie Wall Street. The guy behind me was incapable of properly using a keyboard. He would mash the keys down as if he was angry at them. Never heard such noise from squishy dome keys before. Jesus.

That really funny because I'm a developer attached to global sales at my company ;-)

Have you seen "Makers vs Managers" ? http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

Yes, I actually used to have a copy of it posted on my wall until too many "managers" mocked me for it. In my experience, those who are not "makers" truly truly truly do not comprehend in the smallest way what concentration, interruptions, meetings, etc. mean from a developers standpoint.

Every job requires concentration, so the company interrupts everyone?

I think a developers definition of concentration differs from their definition of concentration.

I've had the opposite experience. As a software consultant I'm often on client calls. Our developers decided that a gong was the way to signal stand up time. They eventually moved to bongo drums. I don't know what they do now. I work from home.

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