Recent Articles of Interest

Anyone who's ever worked in a busy office knows how much office noise and conversational distractions waste company time, decrease productivity, increase the number of avoidable errors, and increase stress levels too. Recent studies prove that the common experiences of office workers are seen all over and provide employers a lot of rationales for investing in those systems which are made to decrease 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, done by the American Society of Interior Designers, found also that worker productivity declined when ambient noise levels went up. This study also found excessive noise particularly problematic in modern, open-office environments, where frail cubicles have taken the place of walled offices and electronic gadgets simply added to the noise levels.

Mixed environments in today's modern offices are particularly challenging to the modern worker. As an example, take the technical writer, who requires high levels of concentration and focus on the job, who sits in a cubicle not far from a salesman making sales calls. The salesman's calls interrupt the flow of concentration for the technical writer, decreasing his level of efficiency.

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.

The smart solution for reducing office noise levels begins with the design of the office, along with proper sound insulation, or a sound masking system. The last few years have seen prices of these sound masking systems dropping drastically. With the amount of information available in today's market and the amount of affordable solutions, today's intelligent employer has no more excuses for not taking care of problems with excessive workplace noise levels.