Up to 60% of office workers are unable to concentrate due to loud workspaces, according to a new survey. Of the 2,000 participants, 1200 claimed that noise in the office not only reduced their ability to focus but also affected the quality of their work.
Just 8% of those polled reported working in a quiet office.
To address the issue of reduced productivity due to noise, employees were resorting to a range of measures. These included wearing headphones, working from home and moving desks.
If you are looking to encourage more employees to work in the office, this research highlights that the acoustic environment is an area that should be reviewed.
The survey identified some common office-based noises that were most likely to prevent employees from working effectively.
These included:
- Colleagues talking to each other (38%)
- Overhearing phone conversations (34%)
- Colleagues eating (21%)
- Co-workers singing or humming (19%)
This latest research reinforces the findings in our Noise and Wellbeing survey which we conducted back in 2019.
These were the noises that were identified as the most distracting in our survey:
Why is noise in the office an issue?
One in three office employees reported that a loud working environment led to deadlines not being met or poorer quality work being handed in. This can impact your businesses’ productivity and ability to generate revenue.
Noise is not just distracting. The acoustics survey found that a quarter reported increased stress levels due to noise levels in their office. Stress can lead to further complications, including anxiety and depression, absenteeism and can even affect employees’ physical health.
People with autism and other neurodivergent conditions are often more sensitive to noise. If you want to create a more inclusive work environment, reducing the impact of everyday office noises is a good place to start.
What’s the solution?
Sound masking is an innovative technology that can treat noisy offices. By raising the level of ambient sound, distracting noises such as conversations between colleagues across the room are less intelligible. It won’t impact your ability to have conversations over the phone or in-person with your colleagues. However, it will help to fade all those distracting noises into the background to create a more comfortable workspace for your employees.
Find out more about sound masking
Contact the Sound Masking installation experts at Remark Group today to find out more. We create a fully bespoke solution that works for your organisation or business.
