Previously, we’ve looked in to the effects of too much noise in the workspace and how this can affect both productivity and the general employee well-being. Now, there’s multiple ways to reduce noise in an office… you can get the floors carpeted and even get your entire office floor plan redesigned, but needless to say, these options can get very expensive. We’re giving you five ways to reduce the noise, for free…!
TAKE CALLS ON YOUR MOBILE OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
Everyone is likely to be on the phone with customers, colleagues and even family during the day, so introduce a general rule about the usage of mobile phones. Encourage employees to take their calls outside the office, which will both benefit their surrounding co-workers in terms of less noise, but at the same time it will help people be more active.
KEEP TEAMS TOGETHER
Make sure relevant teams are sitting together, so no one has to raise their voice across the room to be heard. If your office is an ‘Open Office’, then simply put the desks together for each team, providing them with a specific area within the office, where they will be able to have a quiet conversation without disrupting everyone around them.
INCREASE BACKGROUND NOISE
It seems counterproductive, but the reality is, that by adding consistent background noise, the workplace will actually seem quieter. Research suggests that noise itself isn’t distracting, but unwanted speech noise is. However, words that are incomprehensible are less likely to be distracting, so by adding a continuous, low-level ambient sound to an environment (such as white noise, which sounds similar to the sound of airflow), sound masking can help make conversations for listeners that aren’t intended to hear them unintelligible, and therefore much easier to ignore.
GO GREEN
Having a little bit of nature in your office has many benefits. Plants can improve productivity, morale, health, air quality and decrease stress. And one should not overlook the acoustic control benefits of plants either. Plants around the office can help reduce noise levels by deflecting and absorbing sounds. Now, it might not be free, but it’s definitely cheaper than soundproofing your office.
DON’T EAT AT YOUR DESK
We’re not talking about your snacks here, but when it’s time for lunch, encourage your employees to have it in another area instead of at their desks. When eating at your desk, you’re more likely to talk to your colleagues and usually there are still people working around you. By having your employees eat their lunch in a different area, they can talk, laugh and goof around without having to worry about being too loud.
If you’re interested in getting a better understanding of your indoor office environment a Well+Mate device might be just what you need. It tells you the temperature, humidity level, air quality and noise levels of the office in real time, and even better… it costs next to nothing and is super easy to install.
Fill out the form below if you like to know more.
