Imagine a workday when you have an important report to prepare on the last quarter's sales and on the customer preferences gauged by the sales pipeline. You'll probably try to get to the office earlier than usual, given the gravity of the situation. Now imagine trying to produce that report while a colleague who sits next to you prattles on about the weird guy she dated last weekend. You surely won't want to be disturbed with such useless oddities of everyday life on a busy day.

It is proven that office noise negatively impacts office productivity, regardless of what is producing the noise. In some cases, office noise can create stress and induce depression and other serious side effects.

Even in light of that, the majority of us will have to cope with some level of workplace noise at one time or another. It is crucial that we be ready to handle such problems. If your co-workers have nothing better to do than chatting and gossiping all day, you're going to have to find a way to get around that. Clearly and politely explain that their talking disrupts your train of thought and makes it difficult for you to do your work. They will probably extend their apologies and quiet down somewhat to avoid driving you crazy.

If the printer or fax machine near your workspace is the source of noise, (gently!) ask your IT staff to investigate the source of the noise. Chances are that it is a device malfunction because most companies selling office equipment spend millions making these devices noise-free. Frequent servicing by qualified people can help remove or at least reduce the noise.

In some offices, the office noise can be attributed to the coffeemaker. Yes, the machine is installed to provide convenience to workers. That said, if the noise it makes hinders you from concentrating on your work, its time to raise the issue with the administrative staff.

No matter what the source, noisy offices do not accomplish good. However, for most offices you can find many low-cost noise control methods. Regardless of noise source, human or mechanical, sound absorbent panels and higher cubicle walls can help reduce the distance office noise spreads. Break rooms and cafeteria rooms are usually at corners, farther away from where working areas are located. One of the more effective methods of resolving this this noise by providing a softer, lower level noise, sometimes referred to as "white noise" or "sound masking" . Sometimes this is done in an initial design phase, but some of the newer systems are able to be refitted into most office spaces. The best way, of course, is to just do something to control the noise.

No matter where it originates, office noise is detrimental. It interferes with productivity and may trigger stress in employees, possibly even snowballing into more debilitating illnesses, including depression. It is difficult to work in a noisy office, no matter how the noise originates. Yet there are numerous inexpensive noise reduction systems available which fall under the heading of "sound masking." The most appropriate time to think about the use of this technique is during the office design, but modern systems can be retrofitted into most work areas with relative ease. The bottom line, though, is to take at least some kind of action to reduce noise in the office.