In an office setting, the surrounding environment matters. If it’s too noisy, productivity can suffer. If employees are collaborating on a project and there is not enough soundproofing, the noise of their conversation can distract others outside that office. Employees in the break room can also potentially create noise for the rest of the office. If your business handles a lot of confidential information, making sure you have adequate soundproofing is crucial to maintaining the privacy of your clients. Here, we will look at the importance of soundproofing your office building.
Why Many Buildings Are Not Soundproofed
When older buildings were constructed, sound was not one of the most important qualities architects designed for. Offices were designed to serve their main function, and things like soundproofing only came up when acoustics were an important piece of that function. However, as workplaces have evolved, we have learned how important soundproofing can be to privacy, productivity, and employee happiness.
If the walls of your office building are paper thin and you can always hear what is happening in the next room, it is time to remodel your office building to improve its soundproofing. You do not need to completely rebuild to do this; there are acoustical treatments that you can have installed with ease to take care of the soundproofing issues.
The Benefits of Soundproofing Your Office
There is a lot of noise going through an office building on a daily basis, and it can be distracting for your employees. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of why soundproofing your office building is important.
Soundproofing Can Boost Productivity
While there are some people who work better when they have background noise, most people cannot, and people like to choose why they listen to, as opposed to what they overhear. In an office with an open plan, there is even more noise than in a building with individual offices. There may also be continuous noise from the HVAC system, printers, and people typing on their computers, not to mention phones ringing and conversations.
When that noise is reduced with soundproofing, employee productivity can go up, especially when you remove noises from phones suddenly ringing or bursts of laughter from the break room that break your employee’s concentration. Noise reduction can make a much bigger difference in productivity than you may think and potentially improve a business’s bottom line.
Soundproofing Improves Office Communication
Without adequate soundproofing in your office building, there can be too much background noise for people to communicate well. Phone calls and video calls are challenging when you can’t hear the person on the other end for all the noise. This not only makes the conversation challenging, but it also reflects poorly on the company.
When talking to someone in person, if there is too much background noise, you may end up having to repeat things, making communication more difficult. All communication can significantly improve with soundproofing.
Soundproofing Improves Privacy
Even if your office has pretty good communication, not everyone needs to overhear everything that is happening all the time. In some settings, privacy is essential, particularly in medical and legal offices. You want your clients to feel comfortable and certain their privacy is being respected.
If your office handles more confidential information, like a therapist’s office, you definitely do not want anyone to overhear your sessions with patients, which is why soundproofing is so important.
Soundproofing Reduces Echoes in Conference Rooms
Conference rooms are typically full of hard surfaces that can produce an echo in a meeting. It can be difficult for everyone in a meeting to hear things clearly if the room tends to echo, so not everyone will be able to get the most out of meetings. Soundproofing will help prevent the sound from bouncing around and echoing, so everyone will be able to hear everything clearly.
Soundproofing Improves Employee Wellness
Noise is distracting, and it not only can impact the productivity of your employees, but it can also impact their overall wellness. The distractions can make it harder for some employees to stay on top of their work, and they can get stressed worrying about staying on top of deadlines. Employees may suffer from high blood pressure, trouble sleeping, weight loss or gain, or depression if they feel overly stressed because of noise causing too many disruptions to their work. Background noise and noise pollution also contribute to hearing loss, impair memory detention, and prove disruptive to many people, including those who deal with ADHD and other neurological conditions.
Soundproofing Protects Intellectual Property
Protecting intellectual property has become an increasingly important consideration for businesses. If you do not have good soundproofing in your business, then your intellectual property has the potential to be stolen. New product launch information could be stolen and leaked to competitors, designs could be stolen, or important formulas could be given to competitors.
Let’s Work Together!
Soundproofing is a solid solution to your noisy building. If you are ready to add some acoustical ceiling panels to your office building to improve its soundproofing, contact Magnum today! We will work with you to ensure that not only is your office properly soundproofed, but that it also looks beautiful and fits in with your overall brand image.