Shhh! Can we talk about noise for a minute?
If you’ve seen Julian Treasure’s TED talk about the 4 ways sound affects us – physiologically, psychologically, cognitively, and behaviourally – you’ll understand why I’ve recently become mildly obsessed with biophilic sounds (i.e. nature’s soundtrack).
I’ve been playing ocean waves crashing while working, falling asleep to the sound of rain, and waking my husband up in the morning with coffee and birdsong (he loves it).
Nature sounds, like moving water and birds chirping, help us feel safe and relaxed. They lower levels of our stress hormone cortisol, supporting our cognitive processing and overall wellbeing.
If you’ve ever felt clearer in the head after taking a walk in nature, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Wind, water and birds – a far cry from most workplaces
Noise-related distractions are routinely the biggest complaint workplace strategists hear when we ask people about their offices.
Alarms, ringtones, Teams notifications, and other people’s conversations are typical offenders.
It’s a valid complaint, particularly if you’re trying to get things done: the typical soundscape of an office raises our stress levels while reducing our cognitive capabilities. (A clue is in the word “alarm” itself.)
For knowledge workers this is far from ideal, as our ability to focus is crucial. In open plan offices our productivity drops by as much as 66%!
So how do we fix this?
There are several ways to control noise in the office and improve the experience for everyone there.
Your solution will depend on the scenario you’re in; whether you’re able to make sweeping changes through a relocation and redesign, or behavioural and operational changes to work better in your existing space.
If you’re considering a new space
First of all, lucky you! A relocation and redesign is a fantastic opportunity to resolve sound issues (as well as others). Here are some key things to consider:
Physical considerations
- Ensure your workplace has spaces to draw away to for periods of focus or reflection. Small quiet or focus rooms give people respite from the open plan office, as well as movement and a change of scenery.
- Acoustic treatments – materials to absorb noise include furniture, carpet, fabrics and acoustic panels and partitions. A good acoustic engineer can make all the difference here.
Operational considerations
- Establishing zones can separate your active areas like kitchens and breakout spaces from quiet, focus areas.
- Dedicated ‘library’ zones, in which people are discouraged from taking calls or having loud conversations, are also becoming more popular.
If you’re staying put with zero budget for physical improvements
Operational changes such as those above can be applied in an existing fitout. Otherwise, you might want to consider some behavioural guidelines with your employees.
Behavioural considerations
Behaviour is often the culprit of noise woes in the workplace. For example, perhaps your colleagues take video calls from their desks with no headphones, subjecting you to both sides of a conversation you have no business or interest in…
(And is it just me, or do the people with the loudest voices always have the lowest levels of self-awareness?)
Co-creating behavioural guidelines with employees can clarify expectations and save everyone a ton of angst.
In my experience, people are generally quite reasonable. They don’t set out to be a colleague from hell – they’re usually just distracted by their to-do lists and quite happy to change their ways when they learn it’s disrupting their peers. Sometimes it really is as simple as having a conversation and establishing a shared understanding.
If you’re able to make some changes like those above, please reach out for a chat.
If not, here’s a free app called Study, created by Julian himself. It’s a combination of birdsong and slow-tempo, high-frequency, soothing musical sounds, and will drown out even the most annoying voices in your workplace.
Grab your headphones and try it for a blissful 45-minute burst of calm productivity!
