How to Reduce Noise in the Office
Employees do not need an extravagant workplace to be productive, but a quiet environment. Noise contributes to health problems such as headache, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, and chronic diseases.
If your office is located in a densely populated area along a highway, highway sound barriers can help keep noise from penetrating neighborhoods and offices. You can inquire about highway sound barrier walls cost and combine outdoor and indoor sound control strategies to reduce workplace noise. Here are ways to control sound in the office:
Select the right office design
As you add new features in the office, ensure its layout supports your aim to reduce noise in the office. Avoid an open office setting. Although an open office encourages collaboration and flexibility, you may struggle to reduce noise in the workplace.
You can have quiet rooms for holding meetings and for your workers to go to when they have tasks that need maximum concentration. It would help if you also had telephone booths where your employees can make calls. Ensure your kitchens and break rooms are located away from the offices to reduce noise.
Select the right office furniture
Most modern offices tend to lean on simplicity with bare floors and open ceilings. While this simplicity gives the office a nice look, it has nothing to absorb and control the office’s noise. It would help if you had the right furniture in the office to prevent noise. It would help if you used acoustic furniture in the office as they have suitable designs and fabric for controlling noise.
Install flooring materials that reduce noise
The use of carpets to cover the floor in an office is an easy way to reduce noise. You can choose the suitable carpet design you like for your office from the many available carpet designs in the market according to an aesthetic or maintenance standpoint.
Vinyl tile is a good option for your flooring to reduce noise in the office. It has various designs you can choose from. It is cheap to install and maintain. It lasts longer than hardwood or stone. It has the qualities to absorb sound better than most flooring materials.
Install sound-absorbing fittings
You can install acoustic furniture along with acoustic ceiling clouds and baffles to reduce noise in the office. If you have a small space in your office, you can suspend the cloud horizontally to the ceiling. They control noise and also limit echo.
You can hang baffles vertically if your office has a high ceiling. As the sides of baffles are exposed, there is a large surface to absorb sound. Acoustic wall panels are the best option to absorb noise if your office has small sides and ceilings. Acoustic wall panels not only reduce noise but also add a nice color to your office.
Bottom line
High sound levels reduce workers’ productivity in the office. You should choose the right furniture that helps in noise control in the office. Install acoustic panels and use carpets on your floor to control noise in the office. Employees can use noise-canceling headphones to prevent noise in the workplace.
