#Industry News
Taming Office Noise with Sound Masking
Reducing Noise Pollution in the Workspace
With the gain in popularity of open-plan office design, integrating acoustics into your workplace strategy is an important part of creating a productive environment. With companies overestimating the ability of their employees to drown out noise with headphones, acoustics are all too often an afterthought in workplace design and construction. However, the consequences of not doing so are quite significant.
One of the main complaints from employees is that they are constantly distracted by unwanted noise around them. Prolonged noise distractions caused by poorly designed office acoustics can have a negative impact on productivity and efficiency at work.
We know that an office can be too quiet. Working in ‘pin-drop’ or ‘library-like’ conditions is awkward. You feel uncomfortable talking because you know everyone can hear you and you are distracted by any little noise. This condition usually occurs when only absorption and blocking are used. On the other hand, staying in a noisy environment can generate problems of concentration and general annoyance, with the consequent reduction of working productivity. The ideal work environment should have a healthy amount of background sound. Just not loud enough to be able to decipher what the people around us are talking about.
Reducing Noise Pollution in the Workspace
So how do we manage noise pollution ~ Add More Sound!
Sound masking systems emits a soft, inconspicuous background sound with the use of a loudspeaker system. It can be compared to softly blowing air. The ambient sound level becomes more uniform and otherwise noisy distractions are muffled by the sound masking.
Though adding more sound appears to contradict the goal of controlling noise, it is a necessary step. It covers up conversations and noise occurring at a distance and reduces the intelligibility and disruptive impact of those happening closer to you, making them less distracting.
The result: Employees are less distracted, they can concentrate better, and their productivity rises measurably.
Sound masking works to cover an entire workspace. When installed correctly, the sound masking benefits will follow you, no matter where you are in the general area. These systems are also different because they are specifically designed to fall within the range of a comfortable frequency for the human ear. So, as an audio solution, it can be both practical and calming.
Visit Moving Designs Ltd at https://www.movingdesignslimited.co.uk/sound-masking/
