Loud Desk Calls

You share an open-plan office with a colleague who takes long video calls on speaker several times a day. The noise makes it difficult for you to concentrate on detailed reports, and clients have commented on the background noise when you phone them. Speak to them: raise the issue politely and suggest an alternative.

Hey, have you got a sec? There's something small I wanted to mention, and please don't take it the wrong way. When you're on your video calls with the speaker on, it gets pretty hard for me to focus on the budget reports, and a couple of clients have asked about the noise when I've phoned them. I know you've got a lot of meetings, so I'm not trying to be difficult. Would you be open to using headphones, or maybe booking the small meeting room for the longer calls? Cheers for understanding.