So be honest…are you the noise maker in the office? Or are you the one praying for the noise to stop?Are you the finger tapper? Or are you the one about to go insane from the display of tiny percussion skills
? To be sure, you are either creating the need for white noise or begging for white noise to be introduced into the office environment.
The more I think about it, the more shocked I am that not every office employs a voicearrest system. In my field, we are always running against a deadline. We are constantly having to make adjustments that require quick and focused thinking. We need to be able to collaborate when necessary, but be able to hunker down and bang out the work needed to meet the deadline. Interruptions and distractions cost time and productivity — time and loss of productivity costs money. Oh, wait a minute…didn’t I just describe EVERY field of work? I know you can identify.
The thing is, sound masking is such an easy and practical addition to any office. The term sound masking simply refers to the practice of employing white noise to even out the general noise of an area, thus making it possible to tune out what is going on around you and focus on the task at hand. Sound masking can be accomplished by something as simple as a small white noise machine on a desk, or by something as large scale as a whole office voicearrest system. Either way, the use of sound masking reduces stress and frustration and increases productivity. A recent study found that on the average worker is interrupted by some kind of distraction every 3 minutes! When you consider that it can take up to twenty-five minutes to get back to the original task, the lost productive time is astounding. Considering sound masking is a no brainer for a manager who has to keep the bottom line in mind.
If you are a manager and want to increase productivity and reduce distractions, consider a voicearrest system and treat your employees to increased productivity courtesy of sound masking. If you are not a manager, consider suggesting sound masking to your supervisor — when your productivity increases and your distractions decrease due to a little white noise, you will be glad you did!