A noisy office is a risk to productivity and also a risk to employee satisfaction; the simple solution to that risk is found in the ABCs of noise reduction.
It is well established that when the office is noisy it affects productivity. Employees cannot concentrate well, it can make a very negative impression on clients, and it costs your company time and money. According to a research report by Knoll, “dissatisfaction with noise is statistically the strongest indicator of poorly perceived productivity and the main source of workspace dissatisfaction.” Furthermore, Knoll states that professionals lose up to 86 minutes a day due to noise distractions and that nearly 75% of employees feel that managed noise levels are an important quality in the workplace. Gallup polls also discovered a correlation between absenteeism and distracted workers. All of this together means that finding solutions to a noisy workplace is a priority for successful offices. When you implement the 3 pronged attack of Absorb, Block, and Cover you ensure a productive working environment for your office.
Lets go over those 3 prongs to explore how to handle a noisy environment.
Absorb
When a sound wave hits a surface designed to absorb sound, it is soaked up like a sponge. Instead of reflecting the sound back into the room like hard surfaces do, it isolates and absorbs the sound. There are myriad types of sound absorbers for the office including materials made up of types of sound absorbing mass. This sort of product can be incorporated into the office walls, furniture, floors ceilings, workstations and fabric elements. Finding an expert to help you select the ideal arrangement for your unique location will save you time and trouble.
Block
Absorptive materials improve the acoustics within a room and beautifully prevent sounds from bouncing around, but they do not affect the actual transmission of sound. If someone is shouting right next to you, you will hear it loudly whether there are excellent sound absorbers on the wall or not. To decrease this type of sound transmission, from area to area, barriers are ideal to block the sound from traveling. Typical barriers in an office can include absorptive cubicle panels or sound masking hangings. You are literally blocking the sound from traveling further.
Cover
The final and most technological component is sound masking. You can mask, or cover, the sound with other, more pleasant sounds using sound generation equipment. Some use nature sounds or ambient noise, but workers have found this problematic as well. We here at ACI are pleased to have found a much more useful noise cover. It covers the sound in the most impressive way. People are familiar with the concept of white noise, but the science has improved even beyond that such that employees are not aware of any sound, but that the ambient sounds meld into the background. This kind of tech sounds intimidating but is in fact, easily installed and provides tremendous benefits to your employees and your bottom line.
Working together, the ABCs of noise reduction can create the ideal working environment no matter how noisy the workplace has to be.
Learn Your ABCs
Call to schedule a free review of your noise reduction plan right away at (602) 840-6678 so we can help you solve any noise issues in your office affordably, attractively, and effectively.