6 Warning Signs You’re Doing Sound Masking All Wrong
AND THE ONE SURE WAY TO SHUT DOWN DISTRACTIONS FOR GOOD
In the rush to silence the excess noise of an open office, companies will often roll with the first fix they come across. It’s not surprising—with customer privacy on a downslide and employee distractions costing businesses billions in lost productivity each year, you’ll try anything to stop the hemorrhaging, even if it’s just slapping on a band-aid until you find something better.
But what many companies have discovered, whether they’ve spent hundreds on a white noise machine or hundreds of thousands on a sound masking system, is that the solution they were promised is actually exacerbating the problem. Rather than masking ambient sounds, these systems are simply throwing more distractions into the mix, causing noise levels to increase, confidential information to be overheard, and worker productivity to decline.
Here are six signs it’s time to rethink your approach to sound masking and, instead, turn to a Neuroscience-based solution such as IQ Acoustics.
#1 You’re Relying on White Noise
White noise is created by sending the same energy across every frequency in an attempt to cover up sound with sound. But white noise does a poor job of masking the human voice, so unwelcomed conversations slip right through. With human speech ranking as the top distraction in the workplace according to Cornell University, it’s a huge barrier to productivity. In settings where HIPPA and data privacy is important— even regulatory—considerations, the lack of speech privacy must be proactively addressed. The high-pitched whine of white noise can also become an irritant for employees. Continual white noise causes the body to release excess cortisol, the“stress hormone,” which impacts function in the brain’s prefrontal cortex . White noise even affects senses outside of hearing—employees subject to its constant hiss feel colder since it mimics the sound of a large air conditioner fan.
#2 You’ve Put Pink Noise into Action
Some sound masking companies have taken advantage of companies’ frustration with white noise by substituting pink noise. Compared to white noise, pink noise delivers a higher concentration of energy in the lower frequencies, resulting in a low rumble throughout the room. In the 1960s and 70s, pink noise was key in counteracting the ear-splitting whine emitted from computer rooms in data centers, making it a must-have for the workplace. Today, however, our sound annoyance comes more from humans than machines. While pink noise is less abrasive than white, it too is unable to muffle human speech. Unless your company still runs on the IBM 360 from the Nixon era, sounds that can be solved by pink noise are no longer an issue.
#3 You’re Office Has Gone Full-on Wild Kingdom
When you’re already trying to block out the voices of the humans around you, the last thing you want are crickets and loons making their opinions heard as well. Yet, in many offices, the sounds of the great outdoors have been brought inside to calm and pacify frustrated, overworked employees. Because nature has the ability to soothe—think of the bubbling brook sounds you hear at the spa—some companies are relying on Mother Nature-inspired soundtracks to boost creativity. While these sound systems can distract employees momentarily, they’re simply adding more noise to the mix. Just because chatterbox Darryl one desk over now sounds like he’s standing next to the ocean doesn’t make his phone conversations any less distracting.
#4 Your System is Not Tuned to Your Specific Workplace
Sound masking should never be a one-size-fits-all solution. Yet, you’d be surprised how many vendors fail to take the unique characteristics of the office space into consideration when installing and initializing the system. Everything—from the height of the ceiling to the position of wall fixtures to the number of employees—needs to be accounted for in the planning process, and if they’re not, the intensity of the signal can’t be set correctly.
Once your system is properly installed, if anyone futzes with the settings, whether it’s someone on your staff or a vendor adjusting them remotely, it can be almost impossible to retune your signal back to where it should be. Indeed, whenever there are major changes to your workspace, including a new room layout, furniture upgrades, or significant increases or decreases in staffing levels, best practices call for on-site system recalibration by a professional with the proper sound measurement tools.
#5 You Purchased a System, But Continually Run into Dead Spots
It happens time and time again in open offices after the wrong system is installed. On one side of the room, Kate is able to have a confidential client call without the fear of eavesdropping, while on the other, Sarah has to speak louder and louder for her customer to hear her, spilling private information along the way.
Random dead spots are a common side effect of many sound masking systems and happen for two reasons. First, most systems have highly focused directional emitters that tend to create an uneven experience throughout the room. Second, the vendor often fails to install enough speakers in the facility or spaces them too far apart. If you can tell you’re near a sound masking speaker or not, it’s a sure sign the gap between speakers is too wide for the room.
#6 You’re Only Using Electronic Countermeasures
Modern design elements, like exposed ceilings, concrete floors, and open floor plans, have replaced traditional office features, such as carpeting and cubicles, that blocked, absorbed, and isolated noise4. If electronic sound masking is installed without addressing the physical features of the space, it doesn’t matter how good the system is—ambient sound is going to reverberate, sending echoes and booms bouncing throughout the room.
No matter what a vendor tries to tell you, there’s no electronic solution that can shut down the “boom in the room” without the help of physical countermeasures. When properly installed, unobtrusive physical elements will absorb excess sounds so that the effects of the electronic system can be maximized, creating a smooth, clean effect from wall to wall.