We have almost the opposite problem. I work in a small office, and 3 of us are in one small room, all in each other's stuff.

Sorry I'm no help.

Invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones :) Seriously though, when working in this sort of open environment, it's not uncommon to face differences in work habits. Maybe simply talking to the loud people in a private and tactful way would help. Chances are, they don't know they are bothering other employees. It will probably be noisy for the first few days while everyone moves in, but hopefully things will settle down. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

I actually agree with the noise-cancelling headphones. In two past jobs I've been in cube farms, and I have to say that, even with everyone keeping it down, the overall level of buzz can get pretty high. And that's not even taking into account the VPs who like to manage through yelling.

Of course you should speak personally to loud individuals, approaching the issue in non-confrontational ways, and escalate to HR for people who continue to be reguarly inappropriate in their volume levels, but remember that everyone will be too loud from time to time.

But, even with that, iPod + noise-cancelling headphones is a lifesaver.

The other thing I would recommend is that, since you don't have a door, make some signs to put on the outside of your cube when you're in do-not-disturb mode. That can make a big difference as well.

Another vote for noise canceling headphones. They really have saved my sanity.

Quiet music (not like elevator music, more like yoga music), soft, ambient lighting. Incense. The more relaxed people feel, the more quiet they'll be.

Lush plants.

...

Okay, I vote for the noise-canceling headphones.

I tend to think that noise-canceling headphones are one part cool and one part BS. The premise is neat, but the effect is grating to me.

But I love my Shure e2cs, which are more isolating than the Bose noise canceling cans a coworker has.

There really is no way to stay super sane in a cube farm. I guess I am lucky in that in my line of work I don't want/need quiet -- that is rare. My team is usually chattering throughout the day.

Many years ago (about thirty!) my dad occasionally visited what was then the largest open plan office in Europe. He told me that they used a white noise generator to cut down on the disturbance caused by the chatter, telephones and so on. You didn' realise it was on until 6.00 when it was switched off -- the place then became very quiet.

I've never heard of this technique being used since. Anyone else ever come across it? Does it work?

Steve

I work on a floor of about 300 people, all technology types. Talking on phones, chatting over cube walls, shouting across the room, etc. If there are only a few noise-makers you can band together and provide feedback to get them to lower the volume. That has worked for me in the past. In my current case, everyone is "normal" so the problem is multiplicative and the only solution I have found is some music to drown out the din or taking my laptop to a conference room for some quiet time.

I agree that some humorous do not disturb signs get the point across. Take a look at http://www.stclaire.com/go/industrial_signage/sb2/html for a fun sign generator.

The ones I use are "Quiet please. I'm on the phone." and "Caution. Deep thinking in progress."

I used to work in a therapy clinic whose offices had no ceilings. A white noise machine was used so the sessions would be private. The machine they used had an impact, but not enough of one. If the therapist & clinic talked in whispers or soft voices, you'd have to strain pretty hard to discern what was being said. A naturally loud talker would have no privacy. Even a medium-range voice wouldn't totally be covered by the machine. It's possible that the machine they used was a cheap version and that you could get more mileage from a more expensive model. I do remember that the machine we used was small, about the size of one of those small, cube-sized personal heaters.