Studies show that workers lose, on average, 21.5 minutes a day due to conversational distractions. A noisy office has also been proven to increase stress levels and dramatically decrease employee productivity – workers can be up to 66% less productive when exposed to just one nearby conversation.
Whilst workers in closed plan offices can still fall victim to noise distractions, workers in open plan offices can often experience these distractions on a much greater scale. With open plan offices making up 54% of UK offices and 70% of US offices, office acoustics are becoming a necessity for more and more businesses.
In the second instalment of our ‘The future of office furniture’ blog series, we take a look at some of the different office acoustic solutions that are becoming prevalent in office spaces around the world.
Acoustic pods
Acoustic office pods can be a great way to escape from the general noise and clutter of an open office. They can provide ideal spaces for both formal and informal meetings, somewhere to have a private conversation, or just a quiet space to get some work done. These pods come in various different shapes and sizes, depending on their purpose – there are even acoustic pods designed specifically for people to make phone calls.
Not only can these pods be great for acoustics, but they also fit really well into the modern office, generally available in a range of bright colours. If you read our last blog, you'll know that this can be a great way to boost the creativity and productivity of staff.
Sound masking
Sound masking has been around for years, although people still aren't aware of what it is. It is the introduction of an unobtrusive background sound, such as the sound of air moving through the office, in order to reduce distractions. This sound is usually distributed through hidden speakers, for example in the ceiling.
Sound masking has many proven benefits, such as productivity gains of 8-28%, job satisfaction increases of between 125% to 174%, and stress reductions of up to 27%. With these kind of results, it’s no surprise that companies have been using this solution since the 1960s. Although sound masking has been a part of office spaces for such a long time, we predict that it's going to be used a lot more in the future.
Acoustic panels
Acoustic sound panels are becoming the norm in offices – you will probably have seen some of these panels on the ceilings, floors or walls of an office at some point, without even noticing their real purpose! The sound panels are often built to look visually appealing and to blend in with the general style of the office, whilst simultaneously reducing noise.
As well as appearing directly on ceilings, floors and walls, these sound panels are now being suspended from the ceiling, and are generally designed to look artistic. We think this is a great way to make your office look more ‘21st century’.
Acoustic panels can also be used in places you probably wouldn’t have considered. How many chairs have you got in your office? Desks? Storage cabinets? All of these things can be altered to help reduce the noise in your office. Investing in furniture with acoustic sound panels is one of the best ways of reducing noise in the office – simply because there is so much different furniture and appliances that you can add these panels to.
You’ll always get a better result if you buy professional acoustic furniture, or if you move into serviced offices that already contain acoustic furniture. But there’s nothing to stop you from trying to make some of the more simple surfaces, such as your desk, more soundproof. Soft materials, like fabrics, are generally what you need to break up noise, although these 10 materials would also work well. Why not even consider buying some soft rugs for your office?
Remember to subscribe to the Carrwood Park blog for the next instalment of our ‘The future of office furniture’ series, where we will be looking at some of the different ways offices are becoming more eco-friendly.
Want to reap the benefits of an acoustic office without the hassle of having to sort everything out yourself? Why not book a viewing at one of Carrwood Park’s high quality serviced offices, fully equipped with the latest in office acoustics?
