back to nature: curing open office noise | seattle interactive 2017

1© Plantronics 2017. All Rights Reserved. 1© Plantronics 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Curing Open Office Noise

Beau WilderVP, Innovation Waves and New Products

2© Plantronics 2017. All Rights Reserved.

70%OF AMERICAN EMPLOYEES WORK OUT OFOFFICES WITH

AN OPENFLOOR PLAN

225

176

151

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

220

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Glo

bal

Off

ice

Spac

e A

vg. S

qu

are

feet

per

wo

rker

SOURCE: Corenet Global

Global office space average

SOURCE: IFMA


One third (33%) of office workers say that the design

of an office would affect their decision to work at a company

Source: Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace, Human Spaces 2015.

War for Talent


Biophilic ScienceAnd its Importance in the Office

15% higher level of wellbeing

6% increase in productivity

15% increase in creativity

Workers in office environments with natural elements such as greenery and sunlight report

Source: Global Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace, Human Spaces 2015.


The open office conundrum

48%

30%

24%

54%

CollaborateFocus

2008

2013

Knowledge Workers are Focusing More,Collaborating Less

Representing percentage ofaverage workweek. Time not

accounted for in these percentages was listed as “other.”


23 minutesAverage time to get back

on task after an interruption.

SOURCES: Gensler 2013 WP Survey, Finnish Institute of

Occupational Health, 2011, Gloria Mark, UC Irvine, 2011

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health 2011

53%

of employees are

disturbed by others

when trying to focus.

2X

as likely to take sick days in

open offices when

compared to traditional

offices.

77%of employees prefer

quiet when they

need to focus.

69%are dissatisfied with

noise levels at their

primary workspace.


Too much noise90%

of office workers areadversely impacted by noise.

55%of workers havebrought at least one noise complaint to the attention of their management.

Top 3 biggest noise complaints:

1.Noisy colleagues2. Phone calls3. Electronic office equipment

4 out of 5employees experience noise in the office as disturbing

16-24 year oldsare most likely to put on aheadphone or headset to combat a noisy work environment

Most common effects of noise:

• Lower productivity• Stress• Physical ailments such as headaches

SOURCE: Opinion Matters surveyed organizations employing over 250 employeesin the UK, Germany and France (1000 per region) in February 2015.


FINANCIAL TIMES

WASHINGTON POST


The law of productivityHigh-Quality Work Produced =

(Time Spent) X (Intensity of Focus)


The Cost of Noise

Source: Ipsos & Steelcase 2014,

State of Global Workplace Report 2013 Gallup

85% of people are dissatisfied with their

working environment and can’t concentrate

Cost of disengagement in the US estimated

$450B-$550B in 2013

Office workers are losing 86 minutes a

daydue to distractions


"Millennials – now the largest generation in the

U.S. workforce – were especially annoyed by

noise, more than other age groups."

Oxford Economics Study 2016


There’s a Missing

Puzzle Piece


• We are hardwired to pay

attention to it

• In 22 lab studies, performance

decreases due to noise alone

averaged 15%. Memory was

impaired even further

The problem with speech


It’s not level that matters—it’s intelligibility

By eliminating background sound, many companies have actually made their workplaces too quiet to be acoustically comfortable and productive.

Research shows that it is the intelligibility of speech, rather than the level or even the content of the speech that is most disturbing.


AbsorptionGoing away as offices move to denser plans, use reflective materials like glass and wood that are appealing/eco friendly.

AKA sound masking. This has some serious problems. The white/pink noise played is fatiguing and uncomfortable, with complaints of headaches common.

Cover

The walls are coming down; open offices want flow.Blocking

Standard Solutions Don’t Cut It


Generated broadband noises (e.g., white or

pink noise) are associated with increases of

stress hormones.

Hawel and Starlinger, 1967, Arguelles et al., 1970,

Slob et al., 1973, Klotzbiicher, 1976,

Frankenhaeuser and Lundberg, 1977, Lundberg

and Frankenhaeuser, 1978, Andren, 1982, Andren

et al., 1983, Breier et al., 1987) and corticosteroids

(Arguelles et al., 1962, Cantrell, 1974, Lundberg

and Frankenhaeuser, 1978, Brandenberger et al.,

1980, Follenius et al., 1980, Yamamura and

Aoshima, 1980, Yamamura et al., 1982, Fruhstorfer

et al., 1983, Iwamoto et al., 1985, Breier et al.,

1987, Miki et al., 1998


We did our

HOMEWORK

Water is most effective and most comfortable speech masker.

Finnish Institute Occupational Health

Natural sounds enhance cognitive functioning, optimize

ability to concentrate, and increase overall worker

satisfaction.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute


Creating a balanced environment

Sound

LightTemperature

Color


SOUNDSof

NATURE

SIGHTSof

NATUREINTELLIGENCE


Biophilic Audio

Naturally MitigatingPleasant biophilic acoustics reduce speech intelligibility

Wide Dispersion SpeakersProvide subtle audio over a broad area

Audio ControlsEnable precise volume and frequency adjustment


The living breathing office


Intelligent, Adaptive Software

Adaptive Soundscaping IntelligenceIntelligently adjusts to block distracting speech


Distraction Distance (No Soundscaping)

32 ftDistraction Distance (With Soundscaping)

13 ft Percentage Difference

59%

*Used Speech Transmission Index to test distraction distance


You’re Invited

Hoofddorp, Netherlands Santa Cruz, California


Thank You


VERSION 3.1 DO NOT REMOVECONTACT ROBERT MANASSERO

Questions

back to nature: curing open office noise | seattle interactive 2017

Technology