Acoustic management could save British business millions

Acoustic engineering could increase the productivity of British office staff and save companies millions of pounds, according to a UK businessman. Peter Timbrell, managing director of Workplace Consultancy Services, said many businesses could maximise staff output by making a few simple changes to their offices. Research has suggested that office workers can lose up to two hours a day – equivalent to 45 days a year – through broken concentration. It is the equivalent of £4,903 per employee each year which equates to distraction costing British businesses £139 billion a year. Psychologists have claimed certain noises distract people differently but it can take up to four times as long as the interruption itself to return to the task in hand. A survey of 1,800 office workers revealed 64 per cent felt they were distracted up to 20 times a day while 18 per cent felt they were distracted more than 20 times. Vocal colleagues and mobile phone ringtones were named as the worst distraction offenders while the noise generated by emails was also cited. “I hear a lot of people talking about the environment, sustainability and sustainable buildings,” he said. “What you will rarely hear is about environments we are creating for humans to inhabit. We specialise in adjusting environments to make them as conducive as possible to maximise output. After all, if you keep people comfortable in the right environment, their output will improve.” Derby-based Workplace Consultancy’s division, Elite Commercial Interiors, specialises in interior design, commercial furniture, complete office renovation, and a key element of this is acoustic engineering. Acoustic engineering includes three elements: • Sound absorption using filler in walls or dense panels; • Sound blocking via screens which aren’t glass or reflective, and, • Sound covering with speakers from the ceiling. Timbrell said the speakers can be configured to form specific shaped zones within a working environment. He added: “By shaping sound inside a building, staff disruption is minimised, particularly in open plan offices where third party conversations or mobile phone calls can impact on staff concentration levels and potentially reduces both the quality and quantity of productivity.” He also went to say, “What we can do is shape the sound around a desk or cluster of desks so people hear very clearly in a normal conversation. They will hear the noise from another desk or desk cluster close to them but won’t hear exactly what other people are saying. As a result they won’t be drawn inadvertently into that conversation.” - ENDS - Editor’s note:- Workplace Consultancy Services provides total business solutions that optimise interior environments and work spaces. The aim is to maximise productive output through services that include: • Consultancy services • Acoustics (sound shaping) • Interior design • Commercial furniture • Interior refurbishment It offers clients bespoke services, tailored to meet individual requirements and budgets. It has established an excellent reputation for delivering effective business solutions, coupled with the supply of exceptional quality furniture and fully project managed refurbishment programmes.

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