Working at a computer requires a high level of concentration. If noise is preventing you from concentrating properly at work, it causes stress. Find out here how you can optimise the acoustics in your office.
- Office acoustics – often a challenge
- How loud can the noise level be in the office?
- Office acoustics – what can I do about a loud noise environment in the office
- Which furniture can help create a more pleasant sound environment in the office?
- Conclusion
Office acoustics – often a challenge
Acoustics in the workplace are often a major challenge. Office acoustics are still neglected in many open-plan offices, resulting in considerable strain from constant noise. Today, a large proportion of all employees work in offices, which is why office acoustics should be given much more attention. Many people who work in an office find unwanted sounds or even noise disturbing. Noise is therefore a disruptive factor that can affect both work performance and employees' wellbeing. Every investment in office room acoustics is therefore an investment in employees' health, satisfaction and performance. If the office is comparatively quiet, employees can also work with greater concentration. It is therefore worth carefully planning office room acoustics before furnishing the office or improving office acoustics at a later stage.
Which furniture can help create a more pleasant sound environment in the office?
It makes sense to stop noise from spreading. Partition walls or special partition systems are a good way to provide individual privacy. There are special desk-mounted screens for office desks that can be used as partitions. You can also place furniture such as cupboards and shelving units between individual workstations to provide visual screening and reduce noise. Filled units such as bookcases and filing cabinets are also well suited to this purpose. When the furniture is well filled, it absorbs sound particularly effectively. There is even special acoustic furniture that can help improve acoustics in open-plan offices.
What absorbs sound in the office?
You can also improve office acoustics by decorating the room with textiles or plants. Curtains and artificial plants absorb loud noise while also enhancing the atmosphere of the room.
If your focus is not solely on the acoustic benefits and the design of the room divider is your top priority, a wood-look partition would be an elegant alternative.
But there is more you can do. Pay attention to the right layout in an open-plan office. Rooms where concentrated work is required should, as far as possible, be physically separated from areas such as break rooms, training rooms and conference rooms. Create dedicated zones for meetings and breaks. If there are teams or employees in your company who need to communicate regularly, position their workstations as close together as possible. The aim of optimal office acoustics is to shield employees from conversations that are not personally relevant to them.
How high can the noise level in the office be?
There is essentially no legal regulation that stipulates how high the noise level may be at most. We use sound pressure level as the measure of volume. We express this in decibels (dB). When we perceive sounds, they are actually just fluctuations in air pressure that hit our eardrums. In the brain, these stimuli are converted into information. Among other things, the energy of the vibration determines whether we perceive a sound as loud or quiet. If concentration is required in the office, the sound pressure level should ideally be between 30 and 40 dB. Values between 40 and 45 dB are considered acceptable. If the values are higher, this can already impair concentration. Conversations in particular are perceived as disturbing. In a normal conversation, a person reaches between 40 and 60 dB. In addition, the brain automatically wants to follow conversations and recognise connections. This weakens concentration in several ways.
When planning office acoustics, special attention should be paid to dampening conversations. Plan the office acoustics so that a value of 50 dB is not exceeded wherever possible.
Office acoustics – what can I do if there is a lot of noise in the office?
If you want to reduce noise levels at your workplace, there are various options available to you, regardless of whether you want to set up your office for the first time or make use of existing furniture. The first step is to check whether the high noise level is related to your office equipment. If printers, computers and other devices are particularly loud, they can be replaced with low-noise models. Quiet office equipment can be identified, for example, by the Blue Angel environmental label.
If the noise level at your workplace bothers you, but you do not want to undertake major renovation work to improve workplace acoustics, there are a few things that can help quickly and affordably. Train your tolerance to noise. Try to block out distracting sounds. With a little practice, you may find that many noises feel less bothersome. Alternatively, you can mask the noise by creating your own background sound. Listen to your favourite music or the sound of rain through headphones if it helps you concentrate better and if this is permitted in your company. Perhaps there is an option for you to work from home full-time or part-time. With the right office furniture such as a desk and an office chair you can create a functional workspace at home.
If none of this is possible, speak to your managers about acoustic protection in the office. Workplace acoustics can be optimised through various measures. One option that requires comparatively little effort is to establish rules for the open-plan office. For example, all employees could agree that smartphones may vibrate but must not ring. Another measure could be the introduction of headsets. Such measures require only minimal effort, yet they can have a major impact.
Conclusion: What can you do if the office is too loud?
If you want to improve room acoustics in the office, make sure you allow sufficient space between individual workstations when planning an open-plan office. Create designated zones for phone calls or conversations in general, and use sound-absorbing materials when furnishing the office. If you are looking for a pure sound absorber for your office, acoustic partition walls are the perfect choice. In general, it is advisable to use room dividers in your office. This visually divides the room into separate areas. For this purpose, tall cupboards and shelving units that are important for office organisation are ideal, for example. In addition, special partition wall systems can provide privacy screening and acoustic protection in the office. Ideally, together with your employees, you should put in place Open-plan office rules that help keep noise levels in the workplace low.