Sure would be nice if people would merely wave their hand in front of me. Nope, instead, everyone [0] does one (or both) of two things: come up behind me and tap my shoulder, or come up behind me and shout.
I don't blame them for wanting my attention, but the end result is the same: I physically jump, sometimes yelp, and it takes me many minutes to get back to the same level of productivity I was before the ambush.
Is "ambush" too strong a word? Nope. To my reptile brain, it's exactly what happened: so now it's time to fight or flee.
For me, open offices are evil. It's the place I go to get ambushed.
[0] Even coworkers who know how I will respond. They've said so, apologize, and still do it.
I've seen people putting small rear-view mirrors on desks or screen corners to notice people coming from behind. But here, I think, it would mostly take some talking (repeatedly) to your colleagues, and explaining why tapping or shouting does not work for you, and waving would be a better way.
Next time somebody shouts at you from behind, turn, say quietly "I don't react to shouting; please come and wave your hand quietly to get my attention", then turn back and continue to work.
And to be fair, my characterization of "shouting" is probably an exaggeration, but in the moment it's how my brain interprets the hailing.
Why is it worth mentioning claustrophobia, but not agoraphobia?
Interestingly, both anxieties are much more common in women than men. I wonder if this is another case where a seemingly innocuous decision (like job postings with a large number of required qualifications) is actually turning women away from the industry.
I seriously think the hearing aids industry is going to explode in the next few decades.
Wouldn't that be nice. Doesn't happen in my office. Maybe because upper management doesn't care.
I have good ear-on headphones that isolate me from the sounds of the office most of the day.
I have a comfortable chair, and a large enough desk to never touch my colleagues who sit next to me. I have a pretty minimal amount of personal stuff on the desk: a mug, a phone charging stand; my backpack is under the desk.
I'm pretty much insulated from the rest of the open office I'm sitting in, and have no idea what's happening around unless I choose to take a look. If you want to collaborate, well, come closer and wave your hand so that I noticed you and removed the headphones. Good thing you can notice if I'm sitting at my desk (or went for a coffee) from the other end of the open space.
I did work in smaller, near personal offices. They used to have a somehow poorer window views, and did not offer a lot in the quietness department, because people talking next to you make the same noise in a small office and a large (open-space) office. Only a truly personal office helps here. OTOH a properly sound-insulated personal office would either feel claustrophobic to many people, or have to be rather large. With large, low-density personal offices, walking to someone becomes a lengthier process.
Instead I think that an open(ish) office, a culture of keeping reasonably quiet, and a good set of meeting rooms and phone rooms gives you the best of both worlds: a private space when you need to talk at length, and close proximity when you don't.