Ngl, remembering the stress of open plan offices

Honestly, the noise and constant interaction were too much. Having control over my environment now makes a huge difference.

3 comments

3 Comments

willow_ellis14d ago

That bit about "a minor annoyance to build up into some major trauma" hits on something. We do this with all kinds of low-grade stuff now, like bad lighting or a wobbly table. It's not one big thing, it's the fact that you can't ever fix it. You're just stuck with it forever, and that feeling of being stuck is what gets to people. It makes small things feel huge because they're constant reminders you have no control.

emmawest1mo ago

Compare that to real workplace problems like impossible deadlines or toxic managers. People wore headphones all the time, sure, but you could still get work done. It just seems like a minor annoyance to build up into some major trauma. Most folks figured out how to find a quiet corner or tune it out.

shah.vera1mo ago

Seriously @emmawest? Tbh that's a wild take. Noise all day is like a slow drip of stress that never stops, not like one big problem you can fight. It grinds you down in a totally different way. Ngl calling it minor feels like you got lucky and never dealt with a truly bad setup, because for some of us it absolutely wrecks any focus. It's a real problem, not just something to tune out.