9 Steps For Office Noise Reduction

Noise pollution is very difficult to plan for in advance. It’s a theoretical problem until it becomes an unavoidable problem. In the rush to adopt open office floor plans and modern design elements such as bare concrete floors and minimalist decor, offices have developed a noise problem. Even acoustical experts can’t tell you exactly how much noise pollution you are likely to experience because it arises from a combination of factors.

Although the modern office worker can use noise-canceling headphones to manage ambient noise issues, those issues continue to affect the office as a whole. Here are some practical strategies for sound reduction in the work environment.

The popularity of open office layouts rose on the idea that removing physical and visual barriers to employee communication would increase productivity. The result has been a bit of a wash. While we can all appreciate the increased visual appeal of an open office, there’s no way around the fact that overall noise is higher and noise affects everyone. Noise is distracting and disruptive, causing people to lose their train of thought and to switch tasks more than necessary. While some of your employees may enjoy the energy that comes from a busy, noisy workplace, the majority will experience it as a cost on productivity.

A thoughtful office noise policy is one of the first steps that you can take to reduce office noise pollution. Establish expectations around how employees use the space (e.g., where and when is it appropriate to take a personal phone call?) and what noise should be limited whenever possible (e.g., playing music or the radio in a common space requires headphones). You can also set a threshold for the amount of noise pollution acceptable in a given workday. You should periodically spot-check the noise levels to ensure they’re within the target range. If levels are significantly higher, it’s a sign that your office environment has changed and may require additional noise reduction measures. Your goal shouldn’t be to turn your office into a library where everyone whispers. Still, your policy should align employees on the goal of making the space quiet enough to support productivity.

Once you’ve invested in an open office floor plan, it can be painful to consider reinstalling cubicles and walls. But you don’t have to. Instead, consider building specific areas of the building that are conducive to focus work or collaborative (aka “noisy”) work.

This is where an open office shines. You can quickly get everyone’s attention and collaborate on projects that might have otherwise required a scheduled meeting and a conference room. These can be dual-use spaces that include break rooms as well as dedicated workspaces.

Consider creating dedicated quiet spaces, such as booths with sliding doors or other enclosures where one, two, or several employees can go to work in peace and quiet. These spaces can even function as “phone booths” or temporary offices for projects that require ongoing privacy.

As mentioned in the beginning, the aesthetics of an office can be at odds with creating a productive “soundscape.” Hard surfaces, such as concrete and glass, can cause reverberations, whereas carpeting, and drop ceilings can dampen sound.

Consulting with an expert in architectural acoustics is a good way to identify what your biggest issues are and which solutions offer the most bang for your buck.

Tile, concrete, even genuine hardwood floors can feel loud simply because the act of walking is highly audible. They also don’t offer much sound-dampening benefit.

The carpet helps to dampen the sound of footsteps and movement. Some laminate flooring options are engineered to reduce sound, especially when combined with a sound-dampening underlayer.

There are lots of options available. You should be able to find something that fits your interior design aesthetic and that helps create the acoustic “soundscape” you’re trying to create.

The simplest form of acoustic panels consists of a broad piece of engineered foam that is cut at various angles. Wall panels deflect and absorb sound to reduce reverberations. Modern iterations of sound dampening panels have the advantage of looking like art installations without using valuable floor space. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.

Have you ever noticed how different your house sounds once you’ve moved all your stuff into the moving truck? Items, especially fabric, are sound absorbing. In most homes, the carpet, furniture, and houseplants help to dampen the sound and create a quieter soundscape.

The same is true for office spaces. In fact, sometimes, you just need to strategically place a cluster of furniture or plants to create the desired effect. Again, the best way to determine what your space needs is to consult with an expert in architectural acoustics. They can bring in tools to analyze the sound of the space and isolate trouble spots.

Insulation is a solution that offers a dual benefit: it can lower your HVAC costs and reduce noise pollution. Consult with your building manager or construction professional to evaluate areas that may need extra insulation.

If your space can’t accommodate the options we’ve listed above, you should consider installing partitions or sound barriers. These can be permanent or moveable installations that create visual and auditory privacy. If your office has a high ceiling, you can hand sound baffles in the overhead space to help reduce the distance that sound travels without using valuable floor space.

Lastly, even if you’ve exhausted all the other options we’ve covered in this blog, and your noise problem remains, there is hope. A noise-canceling system is a network of speakers and microphones that you install throughout your office. The network is connected back to a computer controller that analyzes the changing sound levels and plays a blend of noises through the speakers to create a layer of white noise. These systems are more sophisticated than standard white noise machines. They accommodate the different noise levels in different areas of the office space. Systems like these have been shown to increase privacy (measured by how easy it is to overhear conversations) and productivity by reducing distractions. Although the cost of a noise-canceling system isn’t minor, it allows you to precisely tune the soundscape without resorting to major renovations or radical changes in work patterns.

i.e.Smart Systems is a Houston, TX based technology integration partner that specializes in design and installation of audio/visual technology and structured cabling. For more than three decades, our team of in-house experts has partnered with business owners, architectural firms, general contractors, construction managers, real estate developers, and designers in the Houston market, to deliver reliable, scalable solutions that align with their unique goals.