Have you ever worked in a noisy environment? Did you love immersing yourself in the busy feeling, or did it make you feel stressed and unfocused?

Too much noise at work is distracting and even distressing for most people. Yet when we’re all connected and communicating for most of the working day, it’s challenging to know the best ways to limit noise while remaining collaborative.

Understanding and sharing the benefits of a noise-free working environment is the first step to making the right changes so that you can boost productivity and support your team's mental health. Here's what you need to know.

Promote Productivity by Reducing Noise

Noise at work comes from multiple sources. Phone calls, meetings, and even chatty visitors can all raise the volume and contribute to a noisy, distracting environment. One of the primary downsides of this is that it can impact how much work you get done. Research indicates that 53% of employees feel that a noisy work environment stunts their productivity.

Too much noise can lead to:

• A lack of focus
• Errors due to distractions
• Time spent moving around to avoid noise
• Frustration

Unchecked sound can even become detrimental to your hearing. The CDC states that 22 million American workers are exposed to dangerous noise levels each year. They also say that employees shouldn’t be exposed to noises over 85 decibels to protect hearing.

While noise in the office should rarely exceed 50-60 decibels, loud noises can come from:

• Office kitchen equipment, e.g., a loud coffee machine or smoothie maker
• Headphones or headsets turned up too loud
• Sudden shouting or rowdy meetings
• Many people on the phone at once, e.g., a call center at full capacity

Forbes recently reported that spending time at home working and then returning to the office, such as is found in hybrid working models, can change the perception of sound. It’s possible to get so used to a quiet office environment that even moderate sound levels can become stressful.

Support Your Mental Health With a Calm Environment

Avoiding this stress is another benefit of investing in quiet working environments. The irritation associated with frequent interruptions and the inability to focus can wear away at even robust mental health. When employees can’t concentrate, they may worry about their increasing workload. This, in turn, may make them fearful about promotion prospects or performance-related bonuses.

Conversely, finding ways to promote a quieter workplace can encourage:

• Calmer, more mindful working practices
• Increased employee morale
• More free time for employees to engage in collaboration and innovation
• Higher levels of respect between workers
• Creativity in the workplace

When team members aren’t coping with excessive sound, they have more time and energy to come up with great ideas. Being creative is also beneficial for mental health. By creating quieter working spaces, you could be starting an upward spiral of positive mental health practices.

Tools for Achieving a Quiet Workday

Now you know a few of the benefits of reducing noise in your working environment, it’s time to think about implementing a bit of peace into your working day.

Where you work can have a big impact on the choices you make here. If you work at home, it can be easier to find a quiet space to zone in on your projects and focus on your clients. However, that’s not always the case — particularly if you live in shared accommodation or work outside the typical nine-to-five routine.

Open-plan offices like call centers pose a bigger challenge. By their nature, they’re noisy environments which can cause agents to lose focus without the right equipment. For both home and office workers, noise-canceling headphones and headsets provide a solution to this issue.

There are two primary types of noise cancellation: passive and active. Passive noise cancellation means blocking out noise physically, for example, with large, padded headphones. Active noise cancellation (ANC) uses acoustic technology to counter external sound. ANC devices produce a soundwave that cancels out incoming noise, causing your brain to perceive the environment as much quieter. This is sometimes called destructive interference.

Call center agents can use the power of ANC in headsets like those in the Jabra Evolve2 55 series. These headsets cut down external sounds and help agents focus on their callers. This can increase customer satisfaction as the agent is less distracted. And, as we’ve already seen, a quieter work environment could boost productivity and even support agents’ mental health.

Source Noise Canceling Tools From the Experts

If you want to know more about technology that empowers you and your teams to have a quieter working day, call Hello Direct at (800) 435-5634 or contact us online.

Our range includes noise-canceling headsets, earphones, and earbuds, many bundled with other office communication essentials to provide the best value. Talk to us about your needs, and we can help you create a workplace that promotes productivity and more positive mental health practices for all.