Office noise is a big stress factor

Noise in the open-plan office leads to health impairments

30/04/2014

Anyone working in an open-plan office knows the problem: constant telephone calls, conversations among colleagues as well as continuous mouse and keyboard noises can become unpleasant and exhausting in the long term. As a result, the high noise level in many offices often has a negative effect on performance. In many cases, the noise causes so massive stress, so it comes to health problems such as headaches or high blood pressure.

Chatting among colleagues is the biggest disruptive factor
Working in an open-plan office can be very stressful, especially when the colleagues are talking a lot and there are no acoustic partitions. Due to the constant noise, it is often not easy to concentrate - as a result, there are constant interruptions and reduced performance. As there are more and more offices where several colleagues work together, the problem grows: „I consider the amount of damage and the degree of harassment to be underestimated, "said the physician and psychologist Markus Meis to the news agency „dpa“. According to Meis, who conducts research at the University of Oldenburg's Hearing Center, employees' productivity can be reduced by five to ten percent due to a high noise level in the workplace, whereby chatting among colleagues is the biggest disruptive factor.

Speech can not be hidden by the brain
How the noise is experienced in the office is individually quite different, but can still be measured, explains Meis. The expert, for example, had studied how a conversation between two colleagues in close proximity affects the performance of working memory at the desk. „That's up to ten percent“, so the result of the doctor. The big problem with this is that nobody can effectively defend themselves against this disturbing influence, because "our brains automatically focus on speech processing“, Meis explains. However, while the ringing of phones can be hidden over time, this is not possible with voice.

Open-plan offices are not acoustically advantageous
Accordingly, from an expert's point of view, it would hardly be possible to write scientific papers or make complex calculations in an open-plan office, physicist Georg Brockt explains „dpa“. A not to be underestimated problem, because according to Brockt already more than half of the 12 to 15 million office workstations are designed in the form of open-plan offices. For the physicist, who works at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Dortmund, this form of office could indeed bring benefits in the communicative and social area, „but acoustically they are not beneficial.“ Here only enough space between the individual desks could provide a remedy, because a double distance would mean a reduction of the sound by 50%, explains Wolfgang Panter, President of the Association of German Plant and Factory Physicians. In the expert's opinion, more space would be available for the employees - even if this measure entails higher building costs. For those who save space for their employees must not only expect a reduced efficiency, but also more illnesses.

Noise can cause muscle tension or cardiovascular disease
The background: noise is not only unpleasant and can lead to permanent hearing loss such as tinnitus and deafness, but can be a massive stress factor, which has a negative effect on the nervous system. As a result, noise in the workplace can be a real health hazard and lead, for example, to sleep and concentration disorders, stomach problems, high blood pressure, muscle tension or cardiovascular diseases to heart attack. In addition, the noise in the office also endangers the mental health, because it is considered by the human psyche as a permanent alarm and danger situation. This quickly leads to inner restlessness and an aggressive attitude, which can ultimately complicate the handling and communication with other people or colleagues seriously.

Ensure more peace in time
Here should the timely „emergency brake“ be pulled and in case of strong noise in the open-plan office to find ways to reduce it. An effective possibility are mobile dividing walls, through which the sound can be absorbed, also plants in the office not only provide a pleasant room climate, but also reduce the noise level. If new equipment is purchased, care should be taken to ensure that they are quiet - the seal of approval „Blue Angel“ gives a good orientation here. Loud devices such as plotters, copiers should also be placed in a separate room if possible. Especially in open-plan offices is also often the use of mobile phones that have a vibrating function instead of the loud ringing, the use of headsets also causes less interference of colleagues. In addition, whenever possible, there should be an alternative space in which employees can retreat in order to work concentrated without distraction. (No)