There are many benefits to having an open plan office, encouraging collaboration, boosting morale, and improving the social atmosphere.
However, one of the disadvantages of many employees working in the same office space is it can become very noisy. In fact, more than half of colleagues find themselves interrupted by noise distractions over five times a day, according to a survey by The Remark Group.
So, here are our tips on how to reduce sound pollution in a busy office.
Double-glazed glass partitions
Even in open plan offices, there are often separate rooms that provide space for private meetings, client calls, or conferences.
Meeting room walls tend to be floor-to-ceiling glass these days, so the rooms can blend into the rest of the office and make it look bright and spacious. Therefore, if you want to reduce noise throughout the space, it is sensible to install double-glazed glass partitions.
These can provide soundproofing of up to 53 dB, which means whatever is said inside the room can remain private, while noise outside the room will not be able to penetrate the glass walls either.
Quiet spaces
Private meeting rooms not only help to reduce the noise by blocking the sound generated inside from travelling out, but they also create quiet spaces in the office.
Therefore, anyone who is getting easily distracted by the humdrum of activity and needs to get their head down to finish reading or writing for a big project could use one of the quiet spaces to do so.
As their glass walls are soundproof, they block any outside office chatter from coming in, so workers can concentrate on the task at hand.
Vinyl flooring or carpet
As well as providing sound barriers with double-glazed partitions, companies could also reduce the noise that travels throughout their open plan office by choosing certain flooring.
Carpet is well-known for its noise reducing properties, as the sound waves are absorbed by the carpet and underlay.
However, luxury vinyl tiles and engineered hardwood are also good options to consider.
Plants
It might sound like a simple solution, but having lots of plants around the office can help reduce the noise within it.
Living walls are particularly effective, as they contain lots of greenery, while large plants are also good at doing the job.
Curved walls
While trying to absorb the sound is one solution to reducing noise, diffusing it is another.
You could diffuse the sound in the office by installing curved walls or irregular surfaces, as this helps to scatter the sound waves in different directions, making them more diluted and quieter.
Modular workstations
While a totally open plan office gets people talking to one another and helps different teams to gel, it might be an idea to install modular workstations if you want to reduce noise.
While still enabling workers to mix with the rest of the office, they allow sound to be absorbed better through integrated acoustic panels. These barriers between employees can help block sound waves and reduce the level of noise on the floor.
