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Noise and Wellbeing

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Introduction Noise and its impact on a person’s wellbeing and productivity in the workplace Privacy in the workplace, and the ability to concentrate, are paramount for an individual to focus and to be able to collaborate effectively. Employees need to be able to have the access to private areas and know that their confidentiality is protected, yet noise dissatisfaction is still a top complaint within businesses. Within this paper, noise has been defined as unwanted sound judged to be unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. Noise is dependent on how we, the listener, receive and perceive that sound. Perceived noise may be either deliberate (music or speech) or unintended (doors banging, telephone ringing). Workplace wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organisation. The aim of measures for workplace wellbeing is to complement OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) measures to make sure workers are safe, healthy, satisfied and engaged at work.i Tackling noise and privacy within the workplace is achievable, but it requires an understanding of noise distractions. Resolving noise and wellbeing not only covers privacy, but also a person’s productivity within the workplace and their overall office comfort and wellbeing.

There are, however, multiple reports on the open plan office, with titles such as ‘Open Plan offices Makes the Workplace More Toxic’ii and ‘Open-plan offices don't work and will be replaced by the ‘coffice’iii. Throughout these reports, there are different reasons as to why the open plan office should be abandoned, but one reason resonates through them all - poor acoustics. Companies spend a huge amount of money on attractive open plan office spaces and glass meeting rooms, but somewhere in the design process, the acoustics get lost along the way. It is critical that architects, designers, facility managers and building owners are aware of the varying and sometimes complex acoustical needs of their workplace environment. The ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work 2019’ surveyiv has been conducted by intelligent business solutions company the Remark Group, supported by environmental psychologist and workplace strategist Dr Nigel Oseland, an honorary senior lecturer at UCL’s Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering. In this report, Dr Nigel Oseland analyses the results found in the ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work’ survey and applies them to the modern-day office and how, with these results, we can make a huge difference to the noise epidemic within the open plan office environment.

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Forward from Dr Nigel Oseland What is noise and why does it affect us all so differently? Noise is basically unwanted sound - it’s us, it’s people, that determine whether sound is a noise or not. Air pressure waves hit the ear drum and we convert them into a sound and that’s called perception. Then cognition kicks in and that’s when we interpret that sound. Depending on the circumstances, depending on our opinions, our attitudes and our physiology, we then determine whether we believe that sound to be a noise or not. Open plan offices when designed well are great for communication, collaboration and for team working, but we have to remember that people also need to focus and concentrate which is why acoustics are of paramount importance. We quite often find that acoustics are not even considered in the design of offices, and sometimes, even when they are considered they get cost cut at a later date. So, from my perspective and certainly from the research by the Remark Group, we must remember that acoustics are important, we need to design with our eyes and our ears. As a psychologist, I’m interested in what goes on inside our heads and how we interpret sound. In particular, I’ve been looking at factors like personality; we know from recent researchv that whether we are introverted or extroverted will affect how we interpret noise.

Extroverts seek stimulation, so they’re more tolerant of noises, in fact, it can even help them to perform better, whereas introverts prefer more calming and subdued environments, they are after more quiet and peaceful areas. When we have different types of people in the same space, they have different levels of preferred noise. That doesn’t mean to say we can’t help them in the workplace, we can provide different spaces where they can work, from quiet and isolated spaces as well as collaborative huddle rooms, and introduce sound absorption and sound masking to reduce noise distraction. Remark’s research shows that noise is the biggest cause of dissatisfaction in the modern workplace, along with an associated loss of performance, it increases stress and decreases wellbeing. But it’s not just about the volume of noise, it’s about the type of noise. From the ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work’ survey, we can see that people are more annoyed and demotivated by noises that are irrelevant or outside of their control. As more companies are adopting open plan design and agile working, the core challenge to the workplace community, designers and suppliers is to resolve office noise distraction and enhance focussed work, whilst maintaining collaborative and creative environments. Remark’s research and services contribute to providing the solution.

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65% say that their workplace environment impacts on their motivation to work

61% are interrupted by noise at least five to ten times a day

Can we improve the productivity within the UK workplace? Recent researchvi has shown that productivity in the UK has dwindled. At one point, the UK had the highest level of productivity within Europe, but since the 1960s, other European companies have shot past the UK in terms of productivity – France and Germany being the main contenders. In this reportvii from the Bank of England, it was found that Britain has endured the worst decade for productivity growth since the 18th Century, whilst the Office of National Statistics has announced that between January 2018, we saw just 0.1 percent growth in GDP, the slowest recorded since 2012.viii It is not quite clear what the cause of the UK’s drop-in productivity is. It is most likely a combination of different factors, i.e. low-skilled jobs, lack of flexibility within the workplace and poor quality of UK facilities - the list goes on. One thing we can be certain of, is that noise is shown to have a direct impact on productivity within the workplace, in the ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work’ survey it was found that one in four UK office workers report that their working environment is not conducive to productive working. Distraction due to noise is more of an issue than first thought, 61% of UK office workers say that they are interrupted by noise at least five to 10 times a day. The respondents then went onto report that it takes an average of

11 minutes for them to get back into a task after being distracted by noise, which means between 55 minutes and 110 minutes of a day are wasted just from noise distractions.

“61% of UK office workers say they are interrupted by noise at least 5 times a day.” This is particularly a problem in an age in which the primary goal of the workplace is to encourage collaboration. Most of us do not accomplish things on our own, but rather we often rely on colleagues to contribute. As previously discussed, the open plan office was designed to promote collaboration, but when designed without acoustics in mind, those collaborations and phone calls can cause others dissatisfaction within the workplace. Over half of UK offices workers say that their workplace does not encourage productivity, with 65% stating that their workplace environment impacts on their motivation to work. For productivity levels in the workplace to increase, we seriously need to think about the working environment and what employers can do to ensure that their employees are at their most productive. Reducing noise within the modern-day office is a simple yet effective way to reintroduce productivity back into the workplace.

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65% 62% 58% 56%74% 40%

Telephone Conversations

Personal Conversations

Sudden Laughter

Telephone ringtones

Doors Slamming

Music

How much of a negative impact does noise have on an employee’s wellbeing? Workplace wellbeing relates to all aspects of working life, from the quality and safety of the physical environment, to how workers feel about their work, their working environment, the climate at work and work organisation. The aim of measures for workplace wellbeing is to complement OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) measures to make sure workers are safe, healthy, satisfied and engaged at work. Workers’ wellbeing is a key factor in determining an organisation's long-term effectiveness. Many studies show a direct link between productivity levels and the general health and wellbeing of the workforce.ix Noise, whether it be speech or otherwise, has subtle but profound effects on workers’ psychologically, behaviourally and cognitively. According to the ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work 2019’ survey, sudden bursts of noise are the most irritating in the workplace, with the most annoying being:

• Telephone conversations (74%)

• Personal conversations (65%)

• Sudden laughter (62%)

• Telephone ringtones (58%)

• Doors slamming (56%)

• Music (40%) Almost half of UK office workers state that noise has a negative impact on their workplace wellbeing. When you consider that two thirds of people think carefully about the working environment when accepting a job

and an amazing 80% say that the office environment impacts on them remaining in a position, this is a worryingly high number. Short bouts of anxiety or pressure can be motivating, it keeps you alert and primed to respond to danger, but too much may lead to stress, major depression and anxiety. Chronic stress can also lower the immune response and increase blood pressure. These problems can eventually lead to serious life-threatening illnesses, such as heart attacks and kidney disease.

“Fifty-eight percent of UK office workers say that noise has a high impact on their stress levels in the workplace.”

That’s over half of UK office workers at a high risk of developing stress related health problems due to noise in the workplace. A healthy workplace is one where employers and employees work together to support and promote good healthx. When asked whether they found their work environment healthy and conducive to performing well in their job, over a third of respondents said no. We need to be creating working environments where the employees come first, this means designing offices with acoustics in mind and creating a comfortable working environment.

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70%

Privacy in an open plan office Privacy is a much sought-after luxury in today’s working world. Almost half of UK office workers are based in an open plan office – twice the global averagexi. It’s not just the office that suffers from a lack of privacy but 51% of people have overheard a confidential topic being discussed outside of work, in GP surgeries, hospitals and legal firms. Privacy is a fundamental human right, yet in places where you think you would receive the highest amount of privacy like GP surgeries, HR offices and law firms, there seems to be a lack of it. The availability of quiet working spaces is one of the most important characteristics of companies that consider themselves to be highly innovative or creative. Quiet spaces are also important for highly productive companies. The availability of quiet spaces is found to be one of the biggest differentiators between high and low performing companies. Acoustic conditions in the workplace have been noted as a leading source of dissatisfaction when compared to other elements that contribute to overall office comfort such as office layout, furnishings,

thermal comfort, lighting and general cleanliness. Almost two thirds of UK office workers say that they suffer from a lack of privacy at work. The lack of somewhere private can cause employees to be less confident in expressing their anxieties or worries at work, causing a decrease in workplace wellbeing. Seventy-one percent of UK office workers say that their offices would benefit from a private place for discussions, whether that be small huddle rooms, break out areas or even private cocoon pods. Sixty-four percent of UK office workers have overheard a confidential or sensitive conversation in the workplace. In addition, almost half of office workers are reluctant to discuss a private or sensitive issue in the workplace. Lack of privacy is a major concern for those working in large companies (500+ employees) and 76% report that they have overheard a colleague being upset or distressed and 80% of people in companies with 1000+ employees said their office would benefit from a private area.

have overheard a colleague being upset

or distressed

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Sound Masking for privacy, productivity and wellbeing in the workplace We can clearly see from the ‘Noise and Wellbeing at Work 2019’ results that noise is, not only having a negative impact on privacy, but it’s also having a profound effect on workers’ productivity and workplace wellbeing. The open plan office is clearly a concept that is here to stay, so rather than ignoring its acoustical design flaws we should encourage facility managers and employers to embrace the solutions that can increase privacy within the open plan office and therefore improve productivity and employee wellbeing. Sound masking can reduce noise distractions within the workplace by raising the ambient acoustic level of the workplace. The solution can also be divided into zones within the open plan office, for example, if the sales team is

directly next to the accounts team, their areas can be split into two zones and the sound masking within the accounts team zone, which needs most confidentiality, can be turned up to provide more privacy within that zone. Adding noise to a space may sound counter-intuitive, but sound masking reduces the intelligibility of human speech. When you can’t understand what someone is saying, it becomes less distracting and you probably don’t notice them at all. Sound masking helps to create a balanced comfortable working environment that reduces background noise and conversations, meaning privacy is restored and overall office comfort is increased.

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About the sound masking solution from the Remark Group Remark Group have created a sound masking solution that utilises 360° sound dispersion. This solution creates a particularly harmonious natural sound, to increase the privacy around the areas treated and improve productivity within your business. The sound masking solution can also be intertwined with natural sounds including; bird song, water flowing and the gentle sounds of the ocean, creating a completely immersive environment for employees to relax and collaborate naturally. Due to its 360° driver technology, the installation needs fewer speakers to work

effectively compared to conventional sound masking systems. This new solution has the ability to increase the privacy around the areas treated. Not only is the installation of this technology ideal to increase privacy in businesses, but it can also help to increase performance levels, eliminate distractions, and enhance the overall wellbeing of employees. With an eclectic range of solutions available, Remark Group’s bespoke and innovative sound masking solution can be integrated into almost any architectural concept. Meaning this solution is fit for all; from small huddle meeting rooms all the way through to large multi-site complexes.

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References

i https://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/workplace-health-promotion-and-well-being/WCMS_118396/lang--en/index.htm ii https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/7-ways-open-plan-offices-make-workplaces-toxic.html iii https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/10/01/open-plan-offices-dont-work-will-replaced-coffice-says-bt-futurologist/ iv https://www.remark-group.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Noise-and-Wellbeing-at-work-3.pdf v https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758/BF03333987.pdf vi https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/britain-suffers-worst-decade-of-growth-since-18th-century/ vii https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/news/britain-suffers-worst-decade-of-growth-since-18th-century/ viii https://workplaceinsight.net/productivity-levels-in-offices-across-the-uk-have-fallen-since-last-year/ ix https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR1000/RR1084/RAND_RR1084.pdf x https://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/healthy_workplaces_model_action.pdf xi https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/07/its-official-british-offices-are-the-coldest-and-ugliest-in-the/