Office Noise Solutions For Intelligent Employers

Anybody who has ever worked in a busy office understands the extent to which office noise and conversational distractions waste time, decrease productivity, increase stress levels, and increase the incidence of avoidable errors. Recent research validates the common experience of office workers everywhere, and provides employers ample justification for investing in systems designed to decrease office noise.

A recent study by Cornell University researchers, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that even relatively low levels of office noise resulted in increased stress levels, decreased motivation, and decreased productivity. Researchers theorize that the increased stress levels, as evidenced by increased levels of adrenaline in the bloodstream, over time may even contribute to the development of serious health problems, such as heart disease. In addition to the cost of productivity lost, employers could bear the brunt of these associated health care expenses as well.

Another study, done by the American Society of Interior Designers, found also that worker productivity declined when ambient noise levels went up. This study also found excessive noise particularly problematic in modern, open-office environments, where frail cubicles have taken the place of walled offices and electronic gadgets simply added to the noise levels.

Mixed office environments pose particular problems for the modern office worker. For example, a sales person making phone calls from a nearby cubicle can prevent a technical writer, who requires considerable focus and concentration, from producing his or her best work in the allotted time.

There are ways to correcting the serious problem of loud office noise. Employees who become preoccupied end up using things such as ear muffs, ear plugs or sometimes use desktop white noise machines. But, by using these things to lessen the sounds, this has caused workers to slow down in work. There are headphones which do not cause important sounds to be blocked, however, it does have active noise canceling.

The wise business decision to help with loud offices noise begins with the correct office design, proper sound insulation, or a well working installment of a sound masking system. The cost for systems have dropped quite a bit over the past years. With the information and the cost being low, a smart employer has no reason to ignore the problem of loud workplace noise.

If you’ve ever worked in a busy office you know how distracting office noise can be. Even low levels of noise slow down productivity, increase stress, and cause employee mistakes. Even conversational distractions at work, such as the person talking in the next cubicle, are a negative factor. Employees might use white noise machines, but since they stifle all sound they also tend to reduce staff efficiency. The smart solution for reducing noise begins with the design and sound insulation of the office. Employers can really not afford to let their office be noisy and distracting.

- Frank Barnett

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