Office acoustics
ACOUSTIC COMFORT IS ESSENTIAL!
Research has indicated that approximately 70% of staff are dissatisfied with noise levels in their workspace. When an employee is distracted by excessive noise, it can take them up to 15 minutes to regain focus on their task. The concept of “multitasking” is a myth, as individuals can effectively concentrate on one task at a time. This can pose a major challenge within the open-plan offices, where employees struggle to maintain focus, leading to increased anxiety and stress levels among workers. However, the problem goes beyond the noise itself – the conversations permeating the office space exacerbate it. Human beings are evolutionarily programmed to listen to one another, so whenever we hear speech, our brains automatically attempt to make sense of what is being said. Consequently, team members engaging in conversation can disturb their colleagues’ workflow and impede their ability to focus.
ISO 23351-1:2020 ACOUSTICS STANDARD
All Hushoffice acoustic pods comply with ISO 23351-1:2020 – a standard that specifies the level of speech reduction in phone booths, work pods, and other acoustically-designed office furniture and enclosed spaces. This standard introduces a metric known as “speech level reduction”, measured and denoted as DS,A (decibels/dB). Based on test results, each office pod is assigned a specific class, indicated by an uppercase letter. This class represents the achieved level of speech reduction, which correlates with the degree of acoustic comfort provided. The table below presents the classification system based on this standard, illustrating that in order to ensure speech privacy in a typical workspace, an acoustic booth needs to decrease sound levels by a minimum of 25 decibels/dB.
| Class | Level of speech reduction (DS,A) | Ensured speech privacy? |
| A | 30–33 decibels/dB | Yes |
| B | 25–30 decibels/dB | Yes |
| C | 20–25 decibels/dB | Depending on the level of background noise |
| D | 15–20 decibels/dB | Depending on the level of background noise |
| Unclassified acoustic booths | < 15 decibels/dB | No |
STC? NIC? ISO 23351-1:2020? Acoustic partition and office pod ratings explained
Office privacy pods, soundproof partitions, and other open-plan noise solutions often have NIC and STC ratings. And booths, specifically, are now being rated against ISO 23351-1:2020 — a new standard. What do these ratings mean? We’ve recapped office acoustics 101 to make sense of all three.
The average volume of speech ranges from 60 to 75 dB. A Class B acoustic booth can lower the noise level to approximately 30 dB, equivalent to a human whisper. In practice, this means that just 30 dB of the sound made inside the pod can be heard outside, allowing you to feel safe and comfortable during any discussions held inside the Hushoffice booths. In most environments, the “whisper” will simply be masked by office background sounds, ensuring speech privacy and confidentiality for whatever you say inside the Hushoffice booth.
NOISE CAN LEAD TO FINANCIAL LOSSES FOR AN ORGANISATION
According to research, over 67% of office staff struggle with maintaining accuracy in their tasks due to office noise. Additionally, more than 40% cannot fully accomplish their work, 30% feel less productive, and over 64% feel discomfort due to noise generated by phone calls and conversations.
| Average manager salary in Poland | 12 500 zł |
| Average number of distractions generated by excessive noise | minimum 6 (6 x 15 min = 90 min) |
| Reduction in 1 employee’s daily efficiency | around 19% |
| Financial loss incurred for 1 employee monthly | ~2 375 zł |
| Financial loss incurred for 1 employee annually | ~28 500 zł |
| Financial loss incurred for 100 employees annually | 2 850 000 zł |
| Financial loss incurred for 250 employees annually | 4 275 000 zł |
Noise: the silent productivity killer in the workplace
What role does office noise play in workplace stress? How does stress impact an employee’s productivity over the long run? What easy, affordable remedies can organizations implement today to make their office quieter? Our blog post blog tells all.
