In response to our question on ‘Silence at work', a majority of respondents said that informal conversations in the work place help. Edited excerpts:
Essential ensemble, not noise
The effectiveness of a quiet office is doubtful as much as it is improbable. In an absolutely quiet office, I could imagine getting frustratingly distracted by a sequence of intermittent and unexpected noises — of a squeaking chair, a file dropping a pace away and a colleague coughing in the next cubicle. Acoustic experts would agree that the steady background hum present in a normal workplace masks many such distractions and so is desirable to an extent.
With adequate building acoustics in place, informal meetings with mature regard for the co-worker are an essential ensemble — not noise.
— Girija Sanker Panda, L&T Valdel Engineering
Neither library nor fish market
Formal discussions or informal chats energise employees. Everything is linked to the degree of noise created.
As employees spend most of their time in office than at home, the office atmosphere should be friendly, homely and conducive for employees to work peacefully.
In sum, the office atmosphere should be neither like a library nor like a fish market.
— Santhosh Kumar J, Pennar Industries
Helps bonding, team spirit
Human beings are not robots who can work continuously for eight hours. They need breaks at regular intervals to recharge themselves and informal conversations with colleagues play an important role in this regard. Informal conversations help in bonding between colleagues and promote team spirit. If informal discussion is stopped, it will make the office a boring place and will have a negative impact on productivity.
The staff should be educated about having informal conversations without affecting others.
— S. Rajagopalan, Sundaram Finance
Keywords: silence at work, workplace masks, quiet office