---
title: Offices are getting louder, and it's only going to get worse
description: Open plan started it, COVID made us more sensitive, and now AI has us talking to our computers. Why offices are getting louder, and what Nook is doing about it.
image: https://nookpod.com/hubfs/creative-business-woman-with-headphones-apologizing-hearing-her-colleague-talking-her-while-working-office.jpg
---
- Nook sensory pods collection
- [hello@nookpod.com](mailto:hello@nookpod.com)
- [tel:](tel:)
[.png?width=187&name=Nook%20Logo%2060%25%20(1).png "Nook Logo 60% (1)")](https://nookpod.com/)
- [Home](https://nookpod.com/en/)
- [About Us](https://nookpod.com/about)
- [Products](https://nookpod.com/products)
- [Nook Huddle](https://nookpod.com/huddle)
- [Nook Solo](https://nookpod.com/solo)
- [Nook Shelter](https://nookpod.com/shelter)
- [Sensory Nook](https://nookpod.com/sensory)
- [Get Quote](https://nookpod.com/quote)
- [Event Pod Hire](https://nookpod.com/event)
- [Hire](https://nookpod.com/event)
- [Hire Event Pods](https://nookpod.com/event)
- [Get Quote](https://nookpod.com/event#quote)
- More
- [Get Quote](https://nookpod.com/quote)
- [Blog](https://nookpod.com/blog)
- [Case Studies](https://nookpod-6354819.hs-sites.com/blog/tag/case-study)
- [Gallery](https://nookpod.com/gallery)
- [Downloads](https://nookpod.com/downloads)
- [FAQs](https://nookpod.com/faq)
- [Contact Us](https://nookpod.com/contact)
- [đź›’ Get Quote](https://nookpod.com/quote)
# Offices are getting louder, and it's only going to get worse
- [Home](https://nookpod.com/)
- Blog Details
[David O'Coimin](https://nookpod.com/blog/author/david-ocoimin) November 12 2026
I was at a workplace event in the US recently, and one theme kept coming up. Speakers from Cloudflare, Salesforce and Twilio all raised it. So did Heads of Workspace in private conversations and workshops: offices are getting noisier, because people have started talking to their computers.
It's the latest chapter in a longer story.
Open plan started it. We took down the walls to bring people together and save space. For some it worked. But many people collaborated less, not more, because of the constant disturbance. We lost somewhere to think, and every phone call and every chat at the next desk became everyone's business. By the time COVID arrived, workplace engagement was at an all-time low.
COVID made us more sensitive. After working from kitchens and spare rooms, we came back to the office used to being alone and to controlling our own environment, with far less tolerance for noise and distraction. Scientists even measured a cross-section of the population and declared it: "we are all a little more sensitive to sounds now". And we brought endless video calls back with us as part of everyday work.
Now AI has arrived. People are starting to dictate emails, brainstorm out loud with an AI assistant and talk problems through with a chatbot, back and forth. It's faster and it can start to feel natural compared to typing everything. But the sound of an office used to be typing. Now it's increasingly voices chattering away.
It may not be happening in your workplace yet, but trust me, having got into it myself over the past few weeks, it's coming. And it's only going to get worse. Voice is fast becoming the main way we work with AI, and the tools improve every month (or week at the moment!).
What do you notice though - is your office or coworking space getting louder? Where do people go when they need to take a call or talk something through with their AI? Has anyone found a fix that actually works? Let me know in the comments.
This is why I started Nook. People need somewhere to step out of the noise without stepping out of the room. It's also why it was important to add an enclosed single-person booth to the range at one point. It was driven by the wish to protect people. And to be an alternative to those glass cases of emotion I see people perched on stools in, looking for all the world like they were designed to look great on Instagram rather than give a damn about the user.
With the Nook Solo, I was careful not to build an isolation chamber. Others boast about 40dB of sound reduction. To me, and to my customers, that's an ear-popping misstep. As with the original Huddle, I wanted enough sound reduction, but not too much. You should still feel connected, able to hear an alarm and pick up the general buzz of the office.
And selfishly, I wanted one for me. You don't want to hear me thinking out loud with my AI, working out this technology one awkward question at a time. The Solo is as much for your sanity as for my focus.
#### [David O'Coimin](https://nookpod.com/blog/author/david-ocoimin)
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I care about how work, learning and event spaces can help us be better for each other, bring our whole selves to bear and build back better from the anxiety inducing, rapidly changing circumstances of this decade. I focus on Inclusivity, improving work/life balance, knowledge sharing, powerful partnerships and being a good ancestor to the future. I believe that design for the extreme benefits the mean.
### Submit Your Comment
This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached.
- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.
#### Popular Post
[](https://nookpod.com/blog/offices-are-getting-louder-and-its-only-going-to-get-worse)
#### [Offices are getting louder, and it's only going to get worse](https://nookpod.com/blog/offices-are-getting-louder-and-its-only-going-to-get-worse)
November 12, 2026
[](https://nookpod.com/blog/how-bristols-junction-3-library-built-quiet-sanctuary-without-building-walls)
#### [How Bristol’s Junction 3 Library Built Quiet Sanctuary Without Building Walls](https://nookpod.com/blog/how-bristols-junction-3-library-built-quiet-sanctuary-without-building-walls)
November 11, 2026
[](https://nookpod.com/blog/three-nooks-50-minutes-and-no-on-site-construction)
#### [Three Nooks, 50 Minutes and No On-Site Construction](https://nookpod.com/blog/three-nooks-50-minutes-and-no-on-site-construction)
October 06, 2026
[](https://nookpod.com/blog/tfl)
#### [Nook chosen to support Transport for London's Equity In Motion customer strategy.](https://nookpod.com/blog/tfl)
September 04, 2026
[](https://nookpod.com/blog/why-are-there-never-enough-meeting-rooms)
#### [Why Are There Never Enough Meeting Rooms?](https://nookpod.com/blog/why-are-there-never-enough-meeting-rooms)
August 28, 2026
#### Tag Cloud
[Neurodiversity](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/neurodiversity) [Case Study](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/case-study) [Inclusive design](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/inclusive-design) [Safe space](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/safe-space) [Sensory pod](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/sensory-pod) [Library](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/library) [conference pod](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/conference-pod) [Nook event pods](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/nook-event-pods) [branded podcast space](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/branded-podcast-space) [education](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/education) [event](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/event) [event pod](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/event-pod) [flexible workspace](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/flexible-workspace) [healthcare](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/healthcare) [learning nooks](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/learning-nooks) [podcast Nook](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/podcast-nook) [podcast recording at events](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/podcast-recording-at-events) [podcast studio](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/podcast-studio) [sponsored event pods](https://nookpod.com/blog/tag/sponsored-event-pods)
# Mailing List
## About Nook
- [About Us](https://nookpod.com/about)
- [Collection](https://nookpod.com/products)
- [Purchase Options](https://nookpod.com/purchase)
- [Blog](https://nookpod.com/blog)
- [Sustainability](https://nookpod.com/sustainability)
## Products
- [Event Pod Hire](https://nookpod.com/event)
- [Nook Huddle](https://nookpod.com/huddle)
- [Nook Solo](https://nookpod.com/solo)
- [Nook Shelter](https://nookpod.com/shelter)
- [Sensory Nook](https://nookpod.com/sensory)
## Explore
- [Case Studies](https://nookpod-6354819.hs-sites.com/blog/tag/case-study)
- [Gallery](https://nookpod.com/gallery)
- [Downloads](https://nookpod.com/downloads)
- [FAQs](https://nookpod.com/faq)
- [Configurator](https://nookpod.com/configurator)
## Contact
- [Contact Us](https://nookpod.com/contact)
- [Social Media](https://linktr.ee/nookpod)
UK: Unit 5, Hither Green Ind Est BS21 6XT
NL: Fred Roeske Str 115, 1076EE Amsterdam
US: The Mart, Chicago, IL 60654
[Email :](mailto:hello@nookpod.com)[hello@nookpod.com](mailto:hello@nookpod.com)
[Call:](tel:18001234567)[+44 (0) 333 577 6665](tel:+44333%20577%206665)[tel:18001234567](tel:18001234567)
Copyright © NOOK 2027. All Rights Reserved
- [Sustainability](https://nookpod.com/sustainability)
- [Legal & Terms](https://nookpod.com/legal)
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "David O'Coimin",
"url" : "https://nookpod.com/blog/author/david-ocoimin"
},
"dateModified" : "2026-11-12T00:27:00.853Z",
"datePublished" : "2026-11-12T00:05:44.000Z",
"headline" : "Offices are getting louder, and it's only going to get worse",
"image" : [ "https://nookpod.com/hubfs/creative-business-woman-with-headphones-apologizing-hearing-her-colleague-talking-her-while-working-office.jpg" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://nookpod.com/blog/offices-are-getting-louder-and-its-only-going-to-get-worse",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://nookpod.com/hubfs/nook-logo-horizontal-dark.png"
},
"name" : "Nook Pod Ltd."
}
}
```