Reduce Distractions and Echoes in Your Workplace with Sound Masking
Understanding Sound Masking and its Benefits
The clicking of the mouse, smashing on the keyboard, chatter, printers, and thousands of other sounds revolve around the workplace. These distractions make it super difficult for individuals to focus. A study found that it takes 23 minutes for our brains to regain deep focus after abrupt distraction.
It can drastically drain employees’ energy, resulting in a significant decrease in workplace productivity. To combat this issue, You can harness the power of sound masking.
As the name suggests, it masks human sounds and makes them less noticeable or intelligible, which is less likely to distract the workers.
Introduction of White Noise and Pink Noise
Many people use white noise synonymously with sound masking. This statement is entirely wrong, and below is how they differ from each other:
White or “broadband noise” is the most popular type. It uses a combination of frequencies to construct a static-like sound, allowing you to hear all the frequencies at the same volume. A few examples around you are the fan’s whirring, the traffic noise, or a loud crowd.
Pink noise uses lower sound waves and deeper sounds, which makes it soothing for the human ear. It is low-pitched compared to white noise. Thanks to its constant frequency usage, it generates flat sounds and filters out higher sounds, resulting in relaxing sounds to the human ear. A few examples include the rain, blowing wind, and the sound of waves in the ocean.
Here’s a fun fact: Because it mimics the qualities of natural sounds, it creates peaceful soundscapes that help people sleep peacefully and meditate without distribution.
Difference Between White Noise and Sound Masking
Contrary to what most people believe, sound masking is entirely different from white noise. As given above, white noise only uses a set of frequencies to make a static sound that aids in listening to sound with the same volume.
Sound masking is entirely different. It is engineered to mask the frequencies of human speech, making it less distracting in the workplace. It produces a frequency spectrum just enough to mask the human chatter.
Benefits of Sound Masking in the Workplace
Now that you know what sound masking is, let’s examine its benefits and how it assists in providing a better workplace environment by removing distractions and enhancing focus.
Minimize Interruptions and Maintain Focus
Statistically, an average person loses 1.4 hours every day to noise distractions. Anyone can be distracted by the incoming noise, especially when you’re trying your best to focus. Our brain constantly searches for sound patterns around us, and as soon as it finds one, it will pull your attention toward the noise, distracting you from your important work.
Sound masking is the perfect solution for that. Retaining these 1.4 hours can add up to 7 hours a week. Minimizing interruptions and noise in the workplace can result in seven more hours of work from a single employee.
As discussed earlier, masking makes the sound less clear for others at a distance, which prevents distraction. That is enough for you to get these extra hours while encouraging employees’ wellness and comfort, which can lead to increased sales and revenue.
Boost Your Comfort and Well Being
No one likes to work in an uncomfortable environment where it’s almost impossible to focus due to the continuous white noise surrounding the workplace. 60% of employees claim that lack of speech privacy is a massive catalyst for job dissatisfaction.
Moreover, it also risks employees’ privacy, as speaking privately to someone in a loud workplace is challenging. Speaking at a higher frequency may require others to comprehend what they are saying, making it easier for others to overhear conversations they’re not a part of.
Sound masking can prevent such problems by making audio clear to others at a distance. As discussed earlier, sound masking “masks” the human sound, making it less likely to spread far away.
Conclusion
Installing a sound masking system could revolutionize your workplace’s environment and productivity. The magic of sound masking can also be an optimal choice for meeting rooms. White noise sound reduction can help participants focus solely on what’s being said. In the end, it’s the focused meetings that run the multi-million organizations.
The cost can vary. The calibration, cabling, installation, etc., can cost up to $4.00 per square foot, which is relatively inexpensive considering the benefits and increment in workplace productivity. Independent studies have shown an increment of 10-25%.
At JVN Systems, you can know more about sound masking systems and places where we install sound masking systems.
Resources:
- https://cambridgesound.com/learn/sound-masking-101
- https://www.databirdjournal.com/posts/6-ways-to-reduce-noise-and-enhance-acoustics-in-your-office-space
- https://bigideasforsmallbusiness.com/how-to-avoid-noise-distraction-in-the-workplace
- https://www.steelcase.com/content/uploads/2019/01/Sound-Masking-Versus-White-Noise.pdf
- https://level365.com/sound-masking-benefits-for-the-modern-office/
- https://www.softdb.com/sound-masking/roi-calculator/
