Common menu bar links
Sound travels easily in open-plan offices because there are few barriers to block sound propagation. Without floor-to-ceiling walls and doors, conversations, a co-worker's music, even typing noises can be easily heard in neighbouring workstations. 
In some organizations, the employees may not need high levels of speech privacy, but require increased speech intelligibility to help them complete their tasks. In other open-plan offices where speech privacy and low noise levels are required for the tasks, employees can experience distraction and a lack of speech privacy, making them unhappy and unable to work effectively. It is important to make the acoustical environment meet the needs of the occupants.
Office designers must control sound levels and should aim for normal speech privacy and no excessive noise levels.
