With the advent of collaborative workflow, open-office plans are becoming more popular than ever—and for good reason. Aside from allowing workers to spice up their daily grind with seating flexibility, they foster a space in which ideas and inspiration flow freely.

That being said, open-office plans do come with their fair share of disadvantages. One of the biggest ones: noise. As a business owner with such an office space, you’d be smart to get a handle on this problem with sound masking before it begins to spiral out of control.

Below, Aufderworld, your Minneapolis providers of sound masking devices and more, discusses just what happens in an open-office plan when noise is left unchecked, and how sound masking systems can help you put a lid on it.

Everyone Works Best at Different Noise Levels

Some people need to bounce ideas off of other people and socialize to feel like they’re truly at work—and for these folks, a noisy office space might work fine. But others need silence, or at least lower noise levels, to focus. When an open office plan is the only working option provided to them, it’s impossible for these employees to give it their all, which can tank your bottom line.

Sound masking is a great way to make sure everyone can be productive. Because it only muffles faraway conversations, your resident social butterflies can still blossom, while those who seek quieter spaces for concentration can also be at their best.

Minimizing Distractions Is Always a Good Thing

Though open-office plans facilitate the exchange of ideas, they also create more than their fair share of distractions, especially if employees are constantly getting dragged into non-work-related conversations that occur halfway across the room. The right speech privacy system can reduce the intelligibility of these conversations while leaving those that occur nearby unaffected. Friendly chatting will still be able to occur—just not the type that negatively impacts productivity.

Cut Down on Stress for a More Inspired Workforce

The fact that a noisy office can cause stress isn’t new news. WebMD reports on a 2002 study in which “researchers randomly assigned 40 experienced female clerical workers to either a quiet office or one with low-intensity noise… for three hours. They found that workers in the noisy office experienced higher levels of stress.” Stress is immensely counterproductive and can have long-lasting physical and mental consequences. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to cut down on these consequences to maintain the morale and drive of your workforce—and sound masking can help you do just that.

Aufderworld: For Awesome Office Sound Masking Systems and More

Our Minneapolis team of A/V consultants would be thrilled to set up your sound masking and help your business succeed. Reach our office today at 763-233-7700.