- Leroy Acousti
What REALLY keeps employees distracted
Cell Phones aren't the biggest workplace distraction.
CELL PHONES VS NOISE
Since cell phones became pocket sized, employers have begun to wage war against them, and for good reason. A worker can get sucked into social media and lose hours of productivity every day. However, there is a far more insidious problem that neither employees nor employers realize is seriously impacting them.
As stated in NPR.ORG, Alan Hedge from Cornell stated that 74 percent of workers say they face "many" instances of disturbances and distractions from noise. In fact, he says his research has found that humans tend to tune into human voices instinctually. Hedge even says that loud coughing and sneezing creates distraction. What does this mean for productivity? When office workers overhear co-workers discussions or phone calls, they are up to 66% less productive as stated in research conducted by Resonics.
BUT HOW LOUD IS LOUD?Even after reading all this it can be easy to say, "But my office isn't like that. It really isn't that noisy. The Sydney Morning Harold cites Cornell's research as concluding:
Studies show office workers prefer sound levels between 48 and 52 decibels, and that above 65 decibels it is distracting. A typical office conversation is 60 decibels, so it does not take much for two loud colleagues to distract their colleagues.
What can you do? Call us at 844-407-6863 for tips on how to reduce distraction or to discuss how we can reduce office noise and increase your productivity or click here to see how we can help.