Office Noise Solutions For Intelligent Employers

If you have ever worked in a busy office then you know how much office noise and talking waste time, slow down work, higher the stress levels, and sometimes cause mistakes to happen that didn’t have too. A research was conducted with well know office workers. This provided more than enough reason for purchasing systems which can cut down office noise.

Published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, a study by Cornell University researchers discovered that even small quantities of office noise led to higher levels of stress, a decline in motivation, and diminished productivity. An increased stress level, as verified by increased amounts of adrenaline in the bloodstream, is thought to contribute to heart disease and other serious health problems. Not only is there lost productivity, but employers may also be required to cover these related health care expenses.

Another study by the American Society of Interior Designers also demonstrated that employee productivity decreased as ambient noise levels increased. This study found excessive noise especially prevalent in the modern open-office environment where frail cubicles have replaced walled offices, and electronic devices add to the cacophony.

Mixed office environments pose special challenges for a modern office employee. For instance, a salesperson making calls from a cubicle nearby may prevent a technical writer, who needs a lot of focus and concentration, from generating his/her best work in the time allotted for it.

Many solutions exist for the serious issue of excessive office noise. Distracted workers usually turn to wearable means of muffling sounds, like ear muffs or plugs, or else desktop white noise gadgets. But by indiscriminately muffling every sound, these devices can also decrease worker productivity. Headphones with active noise canceling technology will alleviate distracting noise but without muffling all the important sounds.

Appropriate workplace design, adequate noise insulation, or implementation of an effective office sound masking system is where the intelligent business solution to extreme office noise begins. Over the years, the cost of such systems has decreased radically. Now that resolutions are reasonably priced and effectiveness has been proven, employers have no excuse for ignoring excessive workplace noise issues.

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