{"id":291135,"date":"2021-07-05T14:50:01","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T11:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/open-plan-office-noise-increases-stress-and-worsens-mood-weve-measured-the-effects\/"},"modified":"2021-07-05T14:50:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-05T11:50:01","slug":"open-plan-office-noise-increases-stress-and-worsens-mood-weve-measured-the-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/open-plan-office-noise-increases-stress-and-worsens-mood-weve-measured-the-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"#Open-plan office noise increases stress and worsens mood: we’ve measured the effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Open-plan office noise increases stress and worsens mood: we’ve measured the effects<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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If you’ve ever felt your noisy open-plan office makes you cranky and sends your heart racing, our new research shows you aren’t imagining it.<\/p>\n


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Prior to the pandemic 70%<\/a> of office-based employees worked in open-plan offices. Employee complaints about this design are rife<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet there is little experimental research<\/a> investigating the effects of office noise on things like cognitive performance, physiological stress and mood.<\/p>\n

The results of our study<\/a>, in experimentally controlled conditions using heart rate, skin conductivity and AI facial emotion recognition, shows the effects of that noise are very real. <\/p>\n

We’ve found a significant causal relationship between open-plan office noise and physiological stress. <\/p>\n

Our results show such noise heightens negative mood by 25%\u2014and these results come from testing participants in an simulated open-plan office for just eight minutes at a time. In a real office, where workers are exposed to noise continuously during the day, we would expect the effects on stress and mood to be even greater.<\/p>\n

How we simulated open-plan office noise<\/b><\/p>\n

We used a simulated office setting with volunteers to compare the effects of typical open-plan office noise to a quieter private office on a range of objective and subjective measures of well-being and performance. Our carefully manipulated soundscapes included people speaking, walking, printing papers, ringing telephones, and keyboard typing noises. <\/p>\n

Our study involved observing the same individuals “working”\u2014participants were asked to complete a proof-reading task\u2014under the two noise conditions. We varied the order of the sound tests to avoid bias due to fatigue and training effects. This “repeated measures experimental design” allowed<\/a> us to make causal conclusions about the effects of the noise on well-being indicators.<\/p>\n

We used sensors to track changes in heart rate and sweat response\u2014both reliable indicators<\/a> of physiological stress. We used facial emotion<\/a> recognition software to assess emotional responses. We also had participants self-report their own feeling using a mood scale<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Even after a short exposure, we found a causal relationship between open-plan office noise and both stress and negative mood. Negative mood increased by 25% and sweat response by 34%.<\/p>\n

While there was no immedia<\/a>te effect on reduced work performance, it is reasonable to assume such hidden stress over the longer term is detrimental to well-being and productivity.<\/p>\n

Precise causal relationships<\/b><\/p>\n

Our study addresses a gap in the literature by using a simulated office environment with objectively manipulated noise levels and a wide range of objective and subjective dependent variables. <\/p>\n

Reviews<\/a> in research in this field show past studies have tended to only use self-reported measures. They have not used controlled experimental conditions, nor tested sound parameters. <\/p>\n

Comparing multiple output measures has allowed us to investigate cause-effect relationships. Much research on open-plan offices has not established direct causal connections, which is necessary to understand precise relationships, and thus the how to most effectively and efficiently reduce these stressors.<\/p>\n

Although open-plan offices rarely present an immediate physical danger in terms of sound levels, unrelenting exposure all day intensifies their effects. <\/p>\n

Chronically elevated levels of physiological stress are known<\/a> to be detrimental to mental and physical health. <\/p>\n

Frequently being in a negative mood is also likely to harm<\/a> job satisfaction and commitment. It potentially increases the likelihood of employees leaving. <\/p>\n

What to do about it<\/b><\/p>\n

The pandemic has changed our tolerance for office work. Surveys show up to 70% of employees will seek new jobs<\/a> if their employer does not offer flexibility to work from home some of the time. So creating a healthy work environment is more important than ever.<\/p>\n

As organisations seek to adapt to COVID-19, many are reconsidering how they set up and use the office. Though open-plan offices are unlikely to go away any time soon, our study highlights the importance of understanding employee needs in designing work spaces. <\/p>\n

One advantage of more employees working from home at least some of the time is a less crowded office, reducing both visual and auditory distractions. <\/p>\n

But there are other things that can be done. Acoustic treatments and sound-masking technologies\u2014ambient sounds<\/a> designed to make other people talking less intrusive\u2014can help. Good old-fashioned walls or partitions may also assist<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Such interventions can be costly, but so is the impact of poor office environmental quality on productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And we might all feel happ<\/a>ier about going back to the office.<\/p>\n\n

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Employees who work in open-plan offices feel worse and are more dissatisfied with their work\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.\"The<\/p>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Open-plan office noise increases stress and worsens mood: we’ve measured the effects (2021, July 5)
\n retrieved 5 July 2021
\n from https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2021-07-open-plan-office-noise-stress-worsens.html<\/p>\n

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