Do Noisy Workplaces Harm Productivity?

If you’re a facilities manager or managing director, you’ve probably given your work environment a lot of thought. It’s no secret that conditions in the office and factory floor can have a big impact on wellbeing and productivity. With more and more companies returning to the workplace, now is a great time to think about your working environment.

Remark’s Noise and Wellbeing at Work Survey in 2019 showed that noise is the biggest cause of dissatisfaction, with over half of UK office workers saying that noise is an issue.

In any workplace you tend to have a variety of different personalities, usually a mix of louder, more outgoing extroverts mixed with quieter, introverted types who prefer to keep to themselves.

Too noisy and your introverted colleagues may struggle to focus or even find the workplace a stressful environment. Too quiet and the extroverted types may become restless and find the silence irritating to distraction. Meeting in the middle can seem like a struggle.

So, how do you create a work environment that works for everyone?

The Sound Masking Solution

Sound masking allows you to cut the distractions whilst having enough noise to please the extroverts and create privacy in the workplace.

It’s also important not to hinder collaboration and effective communication. No one wants to operate a library-quiet office environment where collaboration is key to producing high-quality work. That’s where sound masking is also an effective solution.

Sound masking ensures collaborative conversation or meetings in your breakout or conference conference rooms don’t leak out into other office spaces.

The Soundscaping Solution

Not forgetting that a lot of employees may have spent the best part of 12 months working from home, there may be some that struggle to readjust to the office particularly if they’re returning from a home environment that was very quiet.

Soundscaping is the ultimate meet in the middle solution.

This innovative acoustic technology involves overlaying natural sounds, such as birdsong or city noises layered with sound masking, which blocks out distracting sounds such as talking and phone ringtones. It’s a great solution for open plan offices and meeting rooms.

While it’s important not to have too much noise in your office, it’s also a good idea to avoid having too much quiet, to create the most comfortable working environment. By using sound masking acoustics at the same frequency as human speech then applying gentle, non-invasive and non-looping, you should be able to create a harmonious level of noise in your workplace.

If you’re interested in how sound masking and soundscape technology could work for your workplace. You can arrange to see a demonstration at our Peterborough HQ or speak to a member of the Remark team for more information.