Noise is the first distraction in the office. In an era in which video calls and remote meetings have tripled, noise pollution in the workplace is becoming the most important source of stress for employees. A recent US research reported in the pages of Forbes, stated that background noise in the office can reduce productivity by up to 40%. This is why noisy offices have a short life and companies are trying to eliminate distractions with design.
Noisy Offices, Employees are Complaining for Distractions
The return to the office after the forced exodus of the pandemic has made workers more sensitive to various issues, first and foremost that of noise. In fact, distractions have increased exponentially, especially in open-spaces, where talking to colleagues or answering the phone has become a nightmare for the collegues, especially in moments when extreme concentration is required to carry out work activities.
Furthermore, the goal of returning to the office is to interact with colleagues and maintain personal relationships. Encouraged by managers, employees talk much more with each other and, inevitably, fuel the noise within the workspaces. This situation, combined with a downsizing of the office, often made smaller thanks to hybrid working, has made the acoustic climate unsustainable.
A Leesman study reported that noise in the office is considered among the most important factors for well-being, on a par with toilets. In light of this, only 30% of employees interviewed are satisfied with the acoustic levels of their workplace.
More Noise, More Stress
Immediately after the post-pandemic return to the office, Cambridge University published a study on how stressful the open-plan office is. Noisy offices are in fact drivers of mental and even physical stress, capable of increasing the heart rate and promoting negative moods. This is because, although at first glance one might think that the body “gets used to noise”, this does not happen at an unconscious level, causing physiological and psychological disorders.
What to Do to Improve Office Acoustics
There are many solutions to implement acoustics in the office, isolating open spaces and private offices. The most effective are:
- Partition walls with acoustic pvb to separate private offices and meeting rooms;
- Screen dividers for desks;
- Phone booths for video calls and phone calls;
- Environments that promote silence (for example with a library-like design);
- Diffusion of pink noise
In general, in the layout of new headquarters there is a tendency to increasingly divide up the space by adding small rooms and micro-offices to encourage the concentration of employees who require acoustic privacy.
Noisy Offices, why Install Partition Walls with Acoustic Pvb
Partition walls have replaced fixed partitions thanks to their flexibility, visual lightness and contemporary design. Single-glazed and double-glazed versions alternate inside offices and enclose spaces where employees can meet, make calls or simply do focus work. Thanks to acoustic pvb, glass and solid partitions have different levels of insulation, customizable according to the company’s needs.
Screen Dividers for Noisy Offices
When, due to space constraints, partition walls are not the best solution, it is possible to opt for sound-absorbing screen dividers in freestanding or desk versions, or vertically suspended acoustic baffles. These are thermoformed panels with variable density that absorb broad spectrums of sound wavelengths. The sound-absorbing properties are linked to the cutting and edge finishing system that allows for perfect fixing. The 100% polyester fabric covering provides resistance to abrasion and light, while felt versions are also available as an alternative to the classic perforated panels.
Phone Booth
Phone booths are contemporary furnishings ideal for installation in noisy open-plan offices. Their function is to mitigate acoustic problems, creating small rooms where you can hold virtual calls and meetings without disturbing other colleagues and enjoying the right degree of privacy. Thanks to these micro spaces equipped with seats and work surfaces, it is possible to concentrate thanks to the acoustic insulation.
Environments that Promote Silence
Libraries are spaces where, by convention, people are led to be silent or at most to speak in a low voice. Following this model, many contemporary offices are designed with rooms that resemble libraries, where workers can move around to carry out concentration activities. Full of shelves with books and folders of documents, they create comfortable environments for employees who can sit at desks with ergonomic chairs or on sofas and armchairs.
Adding Sounds to Noisy Offices
Another ideal solution for noisy offices is a sound masking system that, instead of canceling out chatter, compensates it with so-called pink noises. The ambient noise is thus increased, creating a sort of background in which it’s impossible to hear familiar words, the most dangerous for distracting one’s daily tasks. Pink noises are sounds that can also improve cardiac function thanks to their stimuli and are identified in the pattering of rain, in leaves moved by the wind, in the waves of the sea that break on the shoreline or in the singing of birds.
Often, the problem of sound perception is that the office environment is too quiet. This means that, as soon as someone speaks, everyone else hears what they say clearly. Instead, with background soundscapes, the intelligibility of conversations is cancelled out and it becomes possible to concentrate even in a particularly noisy space. The most advanced systems for creating pink noises use sensors that detect the level of environmental noise and modulate the sounds to counteract and standardize it.
Make the Office Less Noisy with Level Office Landscape
Find the best solution for your work team by relying on the expert designers of Level Office Landscape. You can receive a personalized quote by filling out the form here, or by calling +39 039 9284831.