Noise levels are one of the leading causes of workplace complaints. The open-plan office trend is making noise levels a growing problem: fewer walls to block sound and more people in a shared space.
But why exactly are loud offices a problem? Today we’re looking at three reasons why noisy offices are damaging – both for organisations and employees alike.
1) Productivity
Research has shown that a typical office worker gets interrupted every three minutes, and it can take up to 23 minutes for them to get back on track with their work. Background noise in the office is a constant distraction that employees have to contend with on a daily basis.
The link between noise levels and reduced productivity is particularly problematic in open offices. Open offices are naturally louder than workplaces divided into cubicles or smaller offices, due to the increased number of people sharing the workspace.
Workplace noise has been repeatedly linked to reduced performance and productivity, with high noise levels limiting employees’ ability to recall important information, and even perform basic arithmetic. Therefore, it’s important to design office spaces, and create good working practices, that are proven to improve office productivity.
Choosing the most appropriate flooring can have a big impact on how sound is managed within a space. For example, products with an open cell polyurethane backing system perform substantially better than hard back carpet or hard flooring when it comes to managing noise levels.
In fact, with cushion backing, there can be up to 40% less noise generation vs hard back carpet and up to 90% less noise generation vs hard surface.
2) Hampering Collaboration
Improved collaboration and creativity are two of the biggest benefits of the shift to open office working. However, the price we often pay for this is increased noise levels, which can threaten to destroy the collaborative environment you have designed.
With collaboration comes more conversation, but if you’ve got lots of separate conversations happening at the same time, they can drown each other out and distract employees all around. This can lead to employees being reluctant to hold a meeting or informal chat in your open office environment, or people whispering during a meeting to try and limit the impact they have on their colleagues’ productivity.
Thus, an open office with poor sound insulation can actually make employees less likely to work together, and create a tense environment where people try to be as quiet as possible.
3) Health and Wellbeing
With employees spending upwards of 40 hours a week in the office, creating a healthy work environment should be a top priority. Sound not only impacts our productivity but is also a significant contributor to stress and medical studies have even found that it can disrupt our hormone levels
Additionally, people working in noisy environments have been found to make fewer ergonomic adjustments to their workplace than they would in quieter, more private spaces. This puts the body under increased physical strain and discomfort. When comparing staff absence levels, the noisier office environments will often see significant increases in absences and sick leave.
Never make a flooring specification mistake, download our free guide now!
