Why companies should reduce workplace noise


Despite the ongoing trend towards working from home and remote meetings, it is necessary for many of us to spend our working days in places like offices, factories, classrooms and hospitals. As a result, good workplace acoustics are an essential component when it comes to maximising employee wellbeing, health and productivity.

In order to understand how big a problem workplace noise is, we commissioned some research exploring the views of 2,000 UK employees across a range of different sectors. The research reveals some surprising and concerning effects of noise pollution, a worrying lack of action taken against it and a dearth of knowledge about the associated health issues.

Article by Oscar Acoustics as featured in fc&a magazine         fc&a magazine reducing workplace noise

What are workplace acoustics?

Workplace acoustics are the measures put in place to keep noise to a minimum within work environments. This can include the materials used to build walls and ceilings, or the overall design of workplace rooms.

Our statistics around workplace noise

The effects of poor workplace acoustics are extensive and could be hurting companies’ bottom lines, especially as they are compelled to address the issue. The Control of Noise Regulations 2005 require employers to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work.

However, our survey found that nearly one quarter of us know someone whose hearing has been impacted by working in a loud environment. This means businesses are potentially opening themselves up to lawsuits in the long term. It’s an issue that is only set to rise up the corporate agenda.

Strikingly, our research found that 59% of UK workers believe they work in a loud environment, while 44% of respondents say they can’t concentrate when it’s noisy at work and 50% believe it negatively impacts productivity. Not only this, but the research has also shown evidence that incessant din is shredding people’s ability to work as a team.

A fifth of employees (19%) state it’s the reason they’ve had a breakdown in a relationship with a co-worker. 29% have even snapped at colleagues, including 11% at a superior. It doesn’t end there, though. We were shocked to find that 6% of people have resorted to physical violence because of noise, rising to 16% of millennials.

Furthermore, our research showed that if you are working in London, you are over 3.5 times more likely than anywhere else in the UK to leave these passive-aggressive notes and over 7 times more likely to resort to violence as a result of excessive noise.

The most common way people avoid the racket at work is wearing headphones (25%) however this can boost noise levels by 9dB, creating even more noise, further impacting your hearing. This is backed up by our survey, which found that one in five of participants say they’ve known someone to ignore their boss and have missed phone calls due to headphones usage.

Reduce workplace noise to improve health and wellbeing

Noise pollution is a serious health problem. The Chief Medical Officer in England says it is second only to air pollution in damaging public health, while the World Health Organisation highlights issues such as tinnitus, sleep disturbance, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, adverse birth outcomes and cognitive impairment in children.

Worryingly, our research shows that people are unaware of these risks. 90% of survey respondents did not realise noise can cause heart attacks and strokes, both of which can be deadly.

Given the potentially disastrous effect noise has on employee productivity and team morale (as well as workers’ respect for their boss) you’d be forgiven for thinking that employers are pulling out all the stops to fix this problem. Unfortunately, over half of respondents (54%) said their employer has taken no action to combat it and 42% said they don’t even take the issue seriously.

Controlling noise at work

So, what can be done when managing noise in the workplace?

We’ve always known about the dangers of noise pollution, and hopefully this research will drive it home to others too. It highlights that it’s increasingly hard to avoid excessive noise in any workplace, as the UK has become a somewhat ‘sonic battleground’. It also shows that an unhappy workforce due to poor workplace acoustics can be unproductive.

Not only that, but it can lead to employees becoming distracted, arguing with colleagues, missing important calls and taking more sick days, all of which could have a negative effect on business.

Luckily for employers, there are tools and building certification systems available that architects and contractors can work towards when designing new workplaces. The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) is leading the global movement to transform buildings. Their WELL Building Standard is a blueprint for creating better spaces and empowering employers to transform their workplaces and put the health of their employees first.

As a result, there is a growing trend in the architect and interior design community to create workspaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also create a welcoming experience for future inhabitants.

The impact of office echo

With the rising popularity of open-plan offices comes the threat of echoes in the workplace. In open spaces, echoes thrive, and having so much space means sound waves can travel across a room with little obstruction, bouncing back and forth across surfaces, contributing to difficult working conditions.

In the hubbub of the office, where there’s often a myriad of noises like conversations, equipment and phone calls in the background, echoes are the last thing any worker needs.

The amplification of noise inevitably makes work more difficult. Echoes can disrupt concentration, make conversations harder to follow and reduce productivity. And, in the era of hybrid working and Zoom calls, an office echo can now affect people who aren’t even in the building.

How to make an office less echoey with SonaSpray

So how can you go about reducing echo in the workplace? We created SonaSpray for this very reason. SonaSpray is a highly effective solution for reducing echoes in workspaces. By understanding its benefits, office managers, designers, and owners can make informed decisions about implementing this innovative acoustic treatment.

There are four clear benefits of using SonaSpray for office echo reduction, which are:

  1. Improved work environment
  2. Enhanced concentration
  3. Increased productivity
  4. Better communication

1. Improved work environment

SonaSpray significantly improves the overall acoustic quality of a space by reducing echoes. This creates a more pleasant and productive work environment where employees can focus better and communicate more effectively.

2. Enhanced concentration

Echoes can be highly distracting and disrupt concentration, making it difficult for employees to perform their tasks efficiently. By eliminating echoes, SonaSpray helps to create a quieter and more focused atmosphere, enabling employees to concentrate on their work without unnecessary interruptions.

3. Increased productivity

Excessive noise levels, including echoes, can hinder productivity and performance in the workplace. SonaSpray minimises noise reverberation, allowing employees to work with fewer distractions and achieve higher levels of productivity.

4. Better communication

In open-plan offices where conversations and discussions are common, echoes can make it challenging to understand and follow conversations. SonaSpray reduces echo and background noise, improving speech intelligibility and facilitating better communication among coworkers.

To find out more about how SonaSpray can eliminate echoes in your building, contact us today.

Identifying areas prone to echoes in a work space

Open-plan areas

Open-plan offices which are full of open spaces and minimal physical barriers are susceptible to echoes. The absence of walls or partitions allow sound waves to travel freely, bouncing off of hard surfaces and creating echoes.

High ceilings

Offices with high ceilings can contribute to the propagation of echoes. The taller the ceiling, the greater the distance that sound waves travel before encountering a reflective surface. This can result in a prolonged reverberation and an increase in echoes within a space.

Glass partitions and walls

While glass walls and partitions contribute to the aesthetic appeal and openness of an office, they also reflect sound waves, which contribute to echo. The smooth and rigid nature of a glass surface causes sound to bounce off, creating reverberation and echoes.

Hard flooring materials

Office spaces with hard flooring materials, such as concrete, hardwood or ceramic tiles, can amplify echoes. These surfaces reflect sound waves rather than absorbing them, allowing echoes to reverberate throughout a workspace.

Large empty spaces

Areas within an office that are sparsely furnished or left empty can contribute to echo problems. These empty spaces provide fewer surfaces for sound absorption, allowing echoes to bounce around more freely and persist for longer periods.

By identifying these areas within an office workspace, you can prioritise the implementation of appropriate acoustic solutions to address these specific zones. Targeted treatments will help minimise the adverse effects of echoes and create a more comfortable and acoustically balanced working environment.

Credit to Studio TILT & Jill Tate photography.

Change is on the horizon

With the rise of open-plan offices and increasingly mechanised production lines/distribution centres, employers are increasingly looking at acoustic design to keep their people safe and increase productivity. Whether it’s for a fit-out, refurbishment or new build, taking workplace acoustics seriously and removing distractions caused by excess noise will ensure these workspaces sound as good as they look with a calm and relaxing atmosphere.

There is still a long way to go, and our research shows that companies need to act now to reduce the scourge of noise in workspaces if they want to protect their business interests, and more importantly the health of their employees.

“Why reducing workplace noise is good for employee wellbeing and productivity” article as featured in FC&A magazine.

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