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Open-plan offices were adopted partly to cut costs and partly on the belief that removing walls would spontaneously boost collaboration among staff. Acoustic engineers have since documented a persistent complaint: unwanted conversation and phone calls carry easily across open floors, and many workers report using headphones simply to mask ambient noise rather than to listen to anything in particular. Some firms have responded by installing sound-absorbing ceiling panels and partial screens, which reduce reverberation but do little to block direct speech travelling between nearby desks. A smaller number of companies have reintroduced enclosed booths for calls and focused work, a partial retreat from the fully open layout that acoustic consultants increasingly recommend as a practical compromise.