A new study into employee productivity by Oscar Acoustics has found that offices are struggling to deal with the demands created by hybrid working, with excessive noise at the heart of employee grievances.
The survey, which quizzed 500 senior management workers found that booming office noise has become a deterrent for returning workers, hampering productivity and focus.
Despite the fact that over three-quarters of employers are now implementing hybrid working measures, the research found that noise levels were often unbearable, becoming so loud that a quarter of UK workers aged between 18 and 50, expressed serious concern about going back to workstations.
This comes off the back of nearly two and half years of working from home, following the first lockdown in March 2020. Since then, office workers across the country have become familiar with home comforts, with little in the way of noise disturbances.
However, the sudden return to offices has thrown employees into disarray, with the realisation that many workplaces are simply unfit to deal with rising sound levels, impacting their ability to concentrate and affecting the quality of work they produce.
Ben Hancock, managing director at Oscar Acoustics said: “Workers have returned to offices only to realise that their work environments aren’t up to scratch. Noise at work has always been a source of contention but now, after so much time spent at home, people are finding it intolerable. We should see it as a wakeup call for major change.”
Co-worker calamity
In most cases noisy colleagues were the main source of disruption, causing bad-blood between co-workers. Unmoderated noise has even led to 8 percent of bosses having to dismiss their staff for being too noisy and inconsiderate.
The most annoying trait is office banter, affecting four in ten whilst a third struggle to concentrate alongside near-by video conferencing. Being able to hear meetings from the other side of the room is also a common source of irritation and ‘al-desko’ dining is a definite no-go with a fifth of employees finding it ‘off putting’. The same can be said for humming, singing and other bodily sounds like breathing and scratching.
Poor office design
However, research shows that “fever-pitch” noise levels aren’t just down to overly chatty employees but a lack of acoustic consideration and design. Despite office renovation being viewed as a key component of an effectively functioning workplace, a third of bosses claimed that their organisations had not taken any action to address the issue – leaving both senior management and supporting staff at a loss.
In certain instances, booming babble has even directly led to personnel transfers and terminations. 14 percent of employers admitted that they’ve had to resort to relocating employees to remote locations, away from main areas of work.
Know your role
Unsettlingly, the survey also highlighted a lack of knowledge around health and safety regulations in addition to the failings around hybrid working. Alarmingly, over a third of managers (35%) are ignorant of UK laws established to safeguard employees from tumultuous noise.
Employers must prevent or minimise hazards to their employees’ health and safety from noise exposure under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Peak sound pressure should not rise above 140 dB, and everyday noise levels shouldn’t be higher than 87 dB, yet awareness around these areas is patchy.
Shockingly, just two-thirds of office managers were aware that damage can occur when regularly exposed to excessive levels of noise and the majority of office managers (93%) were unaware that unrestricted exposure could lead to heart attacks, strokes, heart disease and diabetes.
Making sound sense
Oscar Acoustics’ research, which has been compiled into a compelling whitepaper report, shows that UK firms urgently need to improve shoddy offices if they’re to retain personnel. An Ipsos poll earlier this year also found that a shocking 47 percent of British workers had thought about quitting their job in the past 3 months, whilst the take up of ‘quiet quitting’, where employees lose the desire to work is also becoming commonplace.
A third of managers claim that their companies have done little to address noise in the workplace. However, more than half (53%) of office managers agreed that well-designed workspaces – and in particular, those that are acoustically balanced, have a major positive impact on staff productivity.
Ben Hancock continued: “Our research shows that many organisations simply aren’t setup for hybrid working. The effects of ear-splitting noise can be a silent killer and it’s clear that its impact is still being underestimated. If businesses are to come back stronger than ever, then it starts with creating the right environment for staff to thrive and feel at ease. We need to see a major shift in mindset around how we view acoustics and begin to understand the positive impact it can have on performance but also mental and physical health.”
“Acoustically balanced workplaces have been proven to reduce stress and is vital for a happy and productive workforce. Removing these unnecessary distractions with the right acoustic solutions will ensure calm and inviting workspaces that employees want to return to again and again.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
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