Who knew this simple machine could be such a challenge?
I have recently noticed an interesting trend in my family Actually, I am not sure “trend” is really the right word. It’s more a difference in personality types.
- For example, we moved to the UK last year. I noticed that our vacuum was not really that helpful. It liked to grab the pieces of dirt and hair and just move them around to a new spot on the carpet. Since I had heard several American friends comment on theirs doing the same thing, I just assumed, “Oh, I guess UK vacuums just aren’t as efficient as what I’m used to.”
- Similar thing happened with our washing machine. Having never operated a UK washer before, I just assumed that all of them took the entire day (and most of the night) to run a cycle.
- I also assumed that the washers just weren’t very good at dispensing the fabric softener (a must-have when you are sans dryer) since I kept seeing blue spots on various lighter garments.
I could go on…but long story short, my husband ran the vacuum and the washer just once and immediately deduced that there was a problem. It truly never occurred to me to say anything or wonder if there was a problem- suck it up, right? With a few tweaks and creative ideas, the vacuum actually picked up dirt (I couldn’t believe it!), the washer was replaced due to obvious malfunction, and I was shown exactly which of the three sections fabric softener was meant to go in (the one with a flower, by the way).
My point is this- sometimes we’re so used to a problem that it doesn’t even register as a problem anymore. We assume we have to live with it the way it is, and there’s nothing we can do except try to have a good attitude about it. As you think about your business, it may seem as if office noise, especially conversational distraction, is just a part of working in an office. You may or may not be aware that the average office worker is distracted more than 2 hours very day and that an estimated $600 billion was lost in 2008 to distractions such as these. It may never occur to you that while office noise is the norm, it is also a problem that can be easily resolved through acoustic treatments. In fact, there are a few things you need to know about treating office noise. Commonly referred to as the ABCs of sound masking, you have three options for how you treat intruding sound:
- absorb- through carpet and panels
- block- with walls
- cover- sound masking
Many managers are hesitant to change the aesthetic of the work place or add what could be an allergen, which would be inevitable with absorption techniques. Similarly, the addition of walls certainly changes the look of an open office (by closing it), as well as drastically reduces collaborative work and the number of workers in a specific area. That leaves us with covering distractions, or what is known as sound masking. Sound masking is the corporate super-version of white noise. Simply put, sound masking provides low-level background noise that drowns competing, intrusive noises. The most effective sound masking system is installed directly in the ceiling, providing the most direct, uniform, and precise coverage possible. While there is an initial investment (the same would be true of absorption and blocking techniques), sound masking is a one-time (meaning no maintenance) solution that enables your employees to tune out the hustle and bustle so typical in an open office, while still maintaining the feel of an open office.
Don’t be like me- when you see a problem, identify it, fix it, and enjoy the benefits- in this case, the benefits would be happier, less stressed, and more productive workers.