When the pandemic started easing in late 2021, I returned to the office before the Omicron variant sent [almost] everyone home again. Then at the beginning of March 2022, as cases dropped drastically, we returned again. While it seems that not quite everyone is back, there are more back now than there were last year.

But with this increase in people being in the office, an increase in ringing phones goes with it. I know people make phone calls, but it is more of the volume the ringers are. I have heard a phone ringing, literally, half way across the floor. I work on a floor with probably 200, or even a little more, people. So it isn’t too small. And the corporate phones have a particular sound, so I knew it wasn’t a cell phone. And this phone rang. And rang. And rang. Why didn’t the person calling hang up sooner? Anyway, the caller eventually did hang up. But then they called right back. I was able to find the phone and turn down the volume.

But why does someone need to have their desk phone so loud? Perhaps they just never noticed the volume button on the device. Or perhaps they actually spend a little time at others’ desks and they want to make sure they can hear their phone ring while they are a few cubes away.

There also people that get calls on their cell phone. Frequently, there is only one or maybe even two rings before it is picked up. But those too are loud. Probably because they are loud to be heard while in a pocket or purse, but then the phones are sitting on their desk. There was one time the guy in the cube next to me left his phone out on his desk. And someone called (likely his wife or child). And the phone rang. But he was there to answer it. And they called back rather than leave a message. And then called back again. On the third or so callback, I got up and put the phone in his desk drawer to reduce the noise some.

Our company switched to no-voicemail as a cost savings. But because of that, people couldn’t call once and leave a message. If they didn’t get you, they had to try another method of contact – e-mail or Instant Message – or, call back. I’d think if someone didn’t pick up on the first call, calling back immediately would be of no use. Five or ten minutes later, sure, but immediately? Come on…

Even I’ve walked away from my desk a few times having left my phone behind. Not too often because I, like others, sometimes look at my phone while walking to the restroom. But my phone doesn’t ring at a million decibels either.

At home, our phone only rings twice before the machine picks up (yes, we still have a land line – we are that house that still does). And using NoMoRoBo, sometimes it only rings once. If it is someone we want to talk to and can’t get to the phone before someone starts to leave a message, we can still pick it up. But dealing with the few calls we get in a day will be more pleasant than hearing the phones ringing all over the place. I certainly won’t miss that.