Should You Soundproof Offices?

In a busy office environment, controlling sound levels is crucial for maintaining high levels of productivity and speech privacy. In this guide, we’re looking at whether you should soundproof your office and what options are available to achieve an optimum acoustic environment.

Below are just some of the reasons your office could benefit from soundproofing.

• NOISE DISTRACTIONS CAN AFFECT PRODUCTIVITY

In our ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work’ Survey, 2019, 44% of UK office workers reported that noise has a negative impact on their overall wellbeing. A further 65% reported that noise in the workplace impacted their ability to complete work in an accurate and timely manner.

According to an article in Forbes, 70 decibels are recommended for optimum productivity in the office. If your office is less or more than this, the sound quality could be improved.

• PRIVATE INFORMATION COULD BE OVERHEARD

Not only can meetings and discussions be distracting to employees, they can be damaging. Employees may overhear confidential information or sensitive conversations.

Taking GDPR into consideration, it’s never been more important to ensure private or confidential information is only shared on a need to know basis.

Soundproofing can eliminate the risk of eavesdropping. It’s especially useful for HR and legal departments, as well as client or employee meeting rooms.

Having sufficient sound insulation in place will also ensure that your employees can discuss work-related issues without worrying about being overheard. This is all part of creating a better work environment by considering employee wellbeing.

• LOUDER WORK ENVIRONMENTS CAN INCREASE STRESS

Especially for introverts, an environment that’s too loud with many noise distractions can be overwhelming. It can reduce productivity and even engage a stress response in the body. Soundproofing can help tackle this issue by reducing the amount of noise transfer between separate offices.

With all these factors in mind, soundproofing an office might seem like an ideal solution. In some cases, installing acoustic panels or sound absorbing panels will suffice. However, many offices have thin walls and suspended ceilings, making it difficult to contain distracting noises with traditional sound absorption solutions.

In this instance, you’ll want to know how to reduce noise with alternative solutions.

At Remark, we offer an effective alternative to soundproofing. This is an acoustic technology called Sound Masking, which helps to balance noise levels in corporate offices. This includes open-plan areas.

The technology creates subtle ambient sounds that match the frequency of human speech. This makes the sound of voices around the room less intelligible, which creates a more comfortable acoustic environment.

Installed by our team of specialist audio engineers, Sound Masking systems provide increased levels of speech privacy and enhance employee wellbeing by minimising distracting noises.

Sound emitting devices are placed strategically around the room, creating non-intrusive ambient sound. The sound levels can be altered depending on the level of privacy required.

Whether you manage a call centre, a corporate head office or a law firm, having an optimal acoustic environment is important. Remark can assist at every step of the way, from initial consultation through to completing the final installation. Contact us today to book a Sound Masking demonstration or find out more.