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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.

Office noise can have many sources but regardless of the origin, office noise hampers your productivity. Moreover, office noise creates stress and can even lead to serious conditions such as depression.

That said, most working people face some form of office noise at some point in our careers. It is therefore important to be prepared so that we can better deal with such situations. Let's face it, if you have colleagues who idle their time away discussing everything under the sun, you'd better draw the line in your interactions with them. Be forthright yet polite in telling them that you get disturbed by their chatter. Chances are they'll apologize and limit their conversations in order to avoid getting on your nerves.

If you are experiencing disruptive noise due to a printer or facsimile machine located near your desk, you might politely request that your information technology colleagues look into the origin of the sound. It is probably the result of a malfunction, since the majority of office equipment firms manufacture noise-free machines at great expense to themselves. If the offending devices are properly and regularly serviced, that will usually eliminate the sound entirely or at very least lower the noise level.

Even though most of us can't imagine getting through the day at the office without the occasional cup of coffee at hand, if the office noise that keeps you from concentrating on your job stems from that indispensable coffee dispenser, you're going to have to bring it to the attention of the administrative staff.

A noisy office does no good, regardless of the source of the noise. As such, there are many low-cost noise control methods for most offices. Sound absorbent panels and higher cubicle walls can help cut down on how far office noise - whether from human or mechanical sources - spreads. The huddle rooms and cafeteria are located at corners, away from the place where workers sit. And one of the most effective solutions is to cover the noise with comfortable, low-level noise, often referred to as "white noise" or "sound masking." This is best done in the initial design phase, but newer systems are easily able to be retrofitted into most office spaces. The key, of course, is to do something to control the noise in your workspace.

Office noise interferes with employee productivity. In addition, it 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. There are numerous inexpensive sound masking systems available for the majority of offices. Panels that absorb sound and extra-tall cubicle walls are useful in reducing noise are some of the commonly used masking tools. The most appropriate time to think about introducing masking technologies is during the office design, but modern systems can be retrofitted into most work areas with relative ease.