Crowds vary, and environments differ, from luxury, appeal and cost, to interpersonal variations.
But for sure, the open environment put all of them in the crosshairs. The noise? It's less about noise, and more about the content of conversations.
You hear half a conversation, and when your paycheck is on the line, hearing the wrong part of a conversation leaves you wondering if they were talking about you, and whether or not anyone intended you to hear it. You hear people judging new hire candidates after a round of interviews. You hear people gossiping. You hear people talking about raises and reviews. Who's fucking who.
Worst of all, you hear sideways remarks from people in a mocking tone, clearly within earshot. Passive aggression, hostility. But all work related. None of it discriminatory. It all targets the impostor syndrome of holding down what amounts to a bullshit job to begin with.
Every word crystal clear. The whole conversation, unmistakably audible to you, but you are not a participant. Is it a taunt? Are there more people agreeing with what they said, and chiming in with additional sarcasm? Are they ganging up on you? And you have to sit at your desk, quietly uninvolved, minding your own business, and focus on stepping through some useless convenience widget in a debugger.
Sure thing. Where's the door?