Recent Articles of Interest

When you were in school, did you ever try to review for an exam while someone across the hall was having a party? If you've had this experience, then you know first-hand what it's like to try to concentrate in a noisy environment. Now let's take that to an office environment. Some studies have found that noise in the office has a significant effect of the way employees focus on their work. According to the Data Entry Management Association, up to 27 percent of all data entry mistakes can be reduced with proper acoustics. Recently, the average noise level in the office has been on a steady increase. Cost-cutting and efficiency measures have made offices smaller, and cubicles closer together. More workers are finding themselves in closer proximity with their co-workers, and having to deal with the noise they generate as they go about their business: phone calls, keyboard tapping, and conversations. There are more telephones and faxes, which increase the noise levels even more. As a result, the field of sound masking has flourished. This isn't a new development- as far back as the Roman times, people used indoor fountains in their villas to mask the noise out on the street. Have you ever tried to talk to someone while you're in the bathroom with the shower on? In essence, that is precisely the way that sound masking works. Sound - like people having a conversation, for example - carries on certain frequencies. By introducing a new, low-frequency, complementary sound, the conversation becomes harder to detect, and therefore is less distracting. Specialists use this principle to apply masking to your office. With a series of speakers usually mounted in the ceiling tiles themselves, a barely-noticeable sound is generated throughout the workplace. This sound is soft and non-distracting, and it will mask much of the noise in a busy work environment. Every office has unique needs that a sound masking technician has to address. The size and shape of the room that needs masking (which affects how sound travels), and the usual every day noise level (which can vary from office to office), for example. So try and consult a specialist. There are several companies out there that offer sound masking services. They can help you design your office in such a way as to ensure optimum acoustics, which will lead to greater productivity. They can also set up active masking systems for you, and make sure that your environment can help you work harder and focus better.