Noise is a productivity killer. Not only that, but long-term exposure can be quite difficult for one’s mental state. It will drain you, make you less focused, and even cause so many negative emotions. In other words, not only will this make your employees less productive, but it will also diminish their employee experience, which means that they’ll be more likely to leave.

So, as someone running a traditional team (not a remote team) from one of those commercial offices, you might want to learn how to reduce unwanted and distracting noise. This is also something that people running coworking spaces might want to consider. 

Here are a few tips to help you out. 

1. Soundproofing the space

The first thing you need to worry about is the acoustics of the place. You don’t want echo, and you don’t want every noise within the office to be amplified. After all, you’re working in a general working area, a place where people come to focus on their work, not a massive conference office where clarity of speech is crucial. 

First, you want to block out the noise coming from the outside. We’re usually talking about traffic, but there’s also the issue of other offices nearby. Usually, businesses share a building, so if there are other enterprises next to your office, you might want to consider doing a drywall in order to add more privacy. If they’re below you, you might want to go with new flooring or a thicker carpet.

Other than this, you need to realize that windows and smooth surfaces (in general) are a massive source of echo. So, what you want to do is invest in some drapes and blinders. If you’re feeling like you want to do more, you might even want to install a ceiling acoustic cloud in order to address the noise coming from above, as well. 

2. Buying a white noise machine

Noise is not a problem; it’s a distracting noise. In fact, some people might find complete silence so uncomfortable that they’ll have a hard time focusing on work. If anything, you can use noise to mask other noise. We’re talking about getting a white noise machine for your office. 

This way, you can mask out the distracting noise coming from the outside or from inside of the office. You can deafen the traffic, the noise of your coworkers typing on their keyboards, or even chatter across the room.

Just think about all those people who play the sound of fireplace crackling or subtle forest noises in the background so that they can sleep. Well, some of these noises could be used to boost productivity. 

Nature sounds, and ambient music are especially known to boost productivity; however, some people are also calmed down by fan or air conditioner noise. There’s also a special type of white noise known as “office sounds.” Some people working from home play it to simulate being in a conventional working environment. 

3. Ensuring everyone has enough personal space

Proximity to the noise is a major contributor to its loudness. This is why you don’t mind when a person on the other side of the office is chatting, but you can experience the typing of the person sitting next to you being too loud. 

The first thing you need to understand is the importance of giving everyone enough personal space. If people are packed too tightly, the office will be noisy and distracting. In fact, if coworkers are close enough to one another, it’s not just the typing and chatting that’s causing the distractions. At this range, even breathing can be distracting.

Also, when you give people enough space between workstations, they can easily move across the office without bumping into their coworkers or distracting them by trying to navigate between desks (and apologizing each time).

Lastly, you want to consider cubicles. According to some, this is an outdated office layout, but it has numerous merits, and it’s quickly coming back. Why? Well, because it erects physical barriers between workstations.

4. Silent peripherals

The majority of office noise comes from two sources: chatter and peripherals. While the latter needs to be handled from an HR standpoint, you can drastically reduce the latter’s impact by investing in the right peripherals.

The next thing you need to consider is the noise-canceling headphones. This may be expensive, but it’s the ultimate conciliatory accessory for the office. First of all, you give each individual employee their own way of tuning out of the office noise whenever they like. 

Second, you should buy some silent keyboards and mice. The thing is that the sound of clicking can be more distracting than you expect, and with silent peripherals, this shouldn’t be as big of an issue. 

Computers with better cooling are more silent by their very nature; however, the majority of entrepreneurs ignore this during the equipment acquisition stage. The next time you’re about to buy equipment for your office, don’t just look at the CPU/GPU and RAM. Check out the type of cooling these computers have, as well. 

5. Better work policies

People won’t be able to hold their thoughts indefinitely, which is why giving your staff a mandatory break could make a world of difference in everyone’s lives. This is one of those better work policies that don’t sound as impactful when it comes to sound in the office but actually change everything.

For this to give the optimal effect, you want to separate the break and work areas. This way, people who are using the break room are not distracted by those who are still working. If you can, keep it far away. If not, try to erect a barrier between them.

Next, you should be investing in business IM software. Having Slack will help people communicate even in the office, and it’s a great addition for members of your remote team.

Lastly, you need some rules and adequate office etiquette. So, make sure you talk to your team and establish policies that they’ll be able to follow. Also, make sure that these policies are fair. 

Wrap up

Ultimately, keeping a quiet office is not always a possibility. However, you can always make it quieter than it is. Even a small difference can end up benign when it comes to the mental health and focus of your employees. This is why, even if labor-intensive and expensive, it’s definitely worth doing.

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