Ask HN: Office Headphone Syndrome
We work in an open office where everybody sits behind desks next to each other.
But many coworkers almost constantly wear headphones during work hours.
It feels awkward to often ask them to remove their headphones to talk to them, which makes them practically inaccessible as if they are not present in the office but working remotely.
The open office plan must bring people together and create a collaborative environment where people can easily talk to each other and have as much impromptu collaboration as possible. But the headphone syndrome makes it nearly impossible, and the open office plan stops making sense.
I even thought about using apps like Vizor.video to be connected with such people in the office. With it, you can still talk to them through virtual frosted glass even if they are wearing their headphones.
Guys, do you experience the same problem, and how do you deal with it?