Author: Gavin Bradley,  Sept 4^th 2022

Whilst we may be in the office for less days, we are now noisier during our time there. In the post-Covid era the need to engage and collaborate with colleagues whilst in the office means that more noise is generated.

The net effect is that noisy offices are lowering productivity, and according to a recent study with 60% of office workers unable to concentrate and delivering poor quality work owing to loud workspaces, shows research.

Only 20% think employers have done enough to combat the issue. Excessive noise is fraying co-worker connections, with a third irritated by colleagues and a fifth (18%) seeing office relationships damaged because of sound levels. Scarily, one in five under-30s has resorted to physical violence owing to the disturbance.

office relationships damaged because of sound levels. Scarily, one in five under-30s has resorted to physical violence owing to the disturbance.

The UK has seen fewer workers return to the office full-time than in any other European nation. Although this is frequently put down to long commutes, the research says this is also down to offices being "too noisy".

According to the same survey the sounds most likely to stop people from working effectively are colleagues talking to each other (38%), and other people on calls (34%). Colleagues eating (21%), co-workers singing/humming (19%) and a similar number are troubled by others’ bodily sounds (eg, scratching).

The need for solutions to absorb or reduce noise has grown rapidly. Yo-Yo POD® is an acoustic office booth which is mobile, modular and multifunctional. Yo-Yo POD® MEET is ideal for dividing any workspace and creating defined collaborative meeting areas. Most importantly it can be configured and reconfigured in seconds:

• Enabling users to benefit from the removal of unwanted noise
• Reducing voice levels as employees can speak more softly
• Creating greater visual privacy from the other team members in the office

Offices which have deployed Yo-Yo POD® as a mobile and modular office pod have experienced improved levels of concentration and more positive mood affects. They have also reported a marked reduction of stress levels in offices which had exceptionally high noise levels.