there is also this small minority that can't stand headphones, especially if there's any sound coming out of them. being part of such a minority in an open space environment in one of my previous jobs wasn't fun. at all. what did i do when i needed to concentrate? just schedule a meeting with myself and use the meeting room for work when i need concentration. or just do the easy things and avoid complicated stuff. it's the bug count they cared about, not the essence. then only good thing about that is that I would return home mentally fresh, and could concentrated very well on my personal projects.