Dealing with Distraction

First, let’s deal with distraction.  The average worker is distracted 2 hours every day, which costs businesses about $600billion annually.  That’s because distraction leads to a lack of focus which invites mistakes and stress. Additionally, distracted workers are disengaged workers, and disengaged workers turn up for work less and turn over more frequently.  The cost of replacing these employees temporarily or permanently adds up quickly.

Interestingly, a lot of distraction is due to office noise, namely conversations.  An easy way to deal with conversational distraction is to install a sound masking system.  Systems like the VoiceArrest have speakers that go directly in the ceiling tiles and therefore cost relatively little and require no aesthetic changes.  The speakers emit very low-level white noise so that workers tune out it and the surrounding noise so they can get back to work.

Dealing with Depression

Next, let’s talk about depression.  Depression may not seem like an office issue, but Seasonal Affective Disorder affects millions of Americans.  It’s a form of depression that occurs in the winter months, and usually due to lack of sunlight.  Like sound masking, an equally simple solution is light therapy .  By adding a few “happy lights” to the office decor, you literally brighten up the office mood because the light replicates the rays of the sun.  It’s another low-cost means of dealing with common office problems.

If your workers struggle with distraction (and they do) or seasonal depression, try out sound masking system and/or light therapy for low-cost, easy to use solutions.

Sometimes work can feel like a circus.

Workers are finding it difficult to stay focused at work.  And while some may not be able to put their fingers on the source of the problem, others are quite ready to tell you that’s a noise and distraction situation.  Not always, but usually workers complain of open offices and rows of cubicles because it gets to rowdy.  They’ll admit that sometimes it’s fun to be engrossed in a non work-related conversation, but most will agree that  constantly being tugged away from work is frustrating.

Many workers report that their biggest desire at work is for distraction- free, solo work.  That’s because in the typical work place, the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours of his 8 or 9-hour work day.  All distractions count, but the main culprit is conversational distraction, which comes in the form of annoying co-workers, water cooler gossip, and your own mischief.  In addition, many studies estimate that workers are interrupted about 70 times a day and that it takes a full 5 minutes to get back on task once interrupted…and who knows how back on track they really are after hearing some interesting tid-bit that gnaws on the back of their minds?

Overcoming Distraction with a Sound Machine

So, what’s a worker to do?  Whether in a cubicle or even an office, distraction is nearly inevitable.  However, while distraction is inevitable, being distracted is not.  Self-motivated workers who can assess the problem and discipline themselves should be able to draw a few boundaries such as asking distracting co-workers to wait to chat until a break and lunch.  Some companies like IBM have instituted “quiet time” in which an almost literal silence is enforced so workers can clear their desks of to-do lists.

Additionally, you might consider sound masking, or the use of in-ceiling speakers to emit low-level white noise to cover unwanted and distracting noise.  Many studies have shown the effectiveness of sound masking with little to no negative feedback because workers tune out the distractions and even the white noise!

Workers in offices and at home are too distracted- it’s time to set some boundaries and try sound masking so you can reclaim your lost time.

Distractions at work seems to be inevitable these days.  Open office floor plans lend themselves to a lot of noise and potential distractions, while some workers are their own worst enemies.  Regardless of the cause, distraction is costly and must be dealt with, which does mean pinpointing the specific cause.

That said, the number one contributor for loss of productivity is conversational distraction.  Whether workers get drawn into the conversation or annoyed by its persistent buzz, no one is as focused in its presence.  The end result is that not only are your workers distracted, they get frustrated and disengaged.  Sadly, disengaged workers are more stressed, less focused, more error-ridden, and less likely to make the ergonomic adjustments necessary for comfort and avoidance of injury.  Thus, when dealing with office noise and loss of productivity, it’s important to focus on two problems: the noise itself and how to make good ergonomic adjustments.

Tips for Improving Productivity

So, here are a few tips for sound masking and ergonomic adjustments.

Take advantage of sound masking. Today’s sound masking technology is very precise and floods the background with “white” noise that focused on the spectrum of human speech. Office-wide sound masking can lower distractions by up to 51 percent by covering the excess conversations and noise in an open floor plan. You can also try a personal sound machine, if you don’t have control over the sound quality in the office.

Limit distractions and interruptions. The average worker is interrupted more than 70 times each day. And most people suffer almost equally from self-distraction. Try establishing a “no-interruption” time of about an hour to focus on important tasks. Start by turning off all your self-distractions, like your phone and e-mail. Spend this time in focused concentration. Turn on a white noise machine to cover office noise. And post a sign indicating that you currently cannot be interrupted, and a time when you will next be available. You can repeat this focused time throughout the day to make the most of your time.

Improve your posture. Most people do not realize how much energy is wasted with poor posture. Good posture can boost productivity and energy. Start with a good, ergonomic chair and adjust it to properly fit you. First, adjust the height of the seat so that your feet are flat on the floor. Next, move the backrest on your chair to fit the curve of your spine. You should also add portable lumbar support if your chair does not fully support your lower back. Finally, move your arm rests low enough or out of the way while typing to allow free arm movement.

Making changes to your office set-up and your own habits can increase your productivity and efficiency. The most direct change you can make is to upgrade your office space with sound masking technology to block the distracting conversations and office noise that interrupt concentration.

Recent studies have shown that the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day.  The culprits range from machinery noise to interruptions to co-worker chatter and more.  However, by far the most reported problem at work is conversational distraction, which includes chats workers may or may not care to be part of but can’t seem to ignore.  The unfortunate result is two-fold: 1) distracted workers are unproductive workers and 2) distracted workers are disengaged workers.  Both unproductive and disengaged workers are not only unhappy and stressed, but they also cost companies billions of dollars annually due to errors, work just not getting done, and employee absenteeism and turn-over costs.

Many workers have tried to solve the distraction problem themselves by tuning out noise with headphones.  Sadly, this is not a great solution for workers who make and answer calls, and it also can serve as just as big a distraction itself.  On the other hand, Speech Privacy Systems offers two tiers of sound masking solutions for workers:

Personal Noise Systems

Sonet Personal White Noise System

If you need comfortable, reliable business-grade privacy, try the Sonet Personal White Noise System.  More than a simple sleep aid, the Sonet takes the same highly-quality, targeted spectrum sound used in our enterprise VoiceArrest system, but in a form that works for an individual office or cubicle.  This is the best solution for those in a single cubicle who don’t have the budgetary authority to provide better privacy for an entire department, floor or building.  The Sonet targets the specific area of speech that is most effective in rendering speech unintelligible, while also helping to cover hundreds of other miscellaneous noises so common in an open environment floor plan.  Plus, this individual masking unit does not require any specialized knowledge or training to install.

Privacy Guard

Another option is the Privacy Guard. With three integrated high-fidelity speakers and highly customizable sound that adapts to the sound conditions around you, this is perfect for those in a single enclosed office or a home office (versus a cubicle).  The Privacy Guard comes with a selection of 10 extremely high quality sound recordings of nature that are up to 30 minutes or more in length.  Each recording includes a wide range of complimentary nature sounds that are mixed into the foundational sound track in order to add richness and depth.  The result is a natural environment even more conducive to concentration, sleep, or a more soothing sound environment in general at home.

If office noise is a problem for your workers {and chances are it is}, try a single-office sound masking system to cover the noise.  Make sure to check back next time to learn about bigger sound masking systems that can be used office-wide.

Do you feel like you are managing the Office?  Co-worker conflicts, conversations, dares, sales jockeying, even romances gone awry.  Thankfully, you’re not Michael Scott, so at least you’re not contributing to the mayhem.  On the contrary, you should be the first running to resolve the issue.  And the issue isn’t all the personalities or even the disfunctionality therein, but rather the cumulative distraction that many personalities and voices bring to work each day.

Regardless of who you have working for you, co-workers will distract one another.  And that distraction costs businesses like your around $600billion a year!  It’s not that a little chatter here and there adds up that quickly, it’s that when you take into account the variable distractions and interruptions throughout the day, you end up with the average worker losing over 2 hours of productivity a day.  Multiple your employees by 2 and you get the number of hours you lose every day- take that and total it for the year, and you see a massive leak.  Interestingly, that’s not all- distracted workers are usually disengaged workers who experience higher levels of stress, make more mistakes, and turn-over faster.  When you calculate the cost of work-related stress, injuries, errors, absenteeism, and turn-overs, you can see how expensive distraction really is.

How do you re-engage your workers?

Brilliant question.  There are a variety of business techniques you can take, and that’s up to you whether you want to be creative with “quiet time” and how many meetings you call and how you generally run your business.  However, there is one solution that works for any office, and that is sound masking.  Sound masking is the use of speakers mounted in the ceiling tiles to emit low-level background noise that serves to cover, or mask, unwanted, intrusive noise.  Before you worry about adding sound to cover sound, you need to know that those who have experienced sound masking barely notice the white noise, or the background noise, at all.  What they do notice is an office environment much more conducive to productivity.

If office noise is a problem for your business, consider sound masking to reduce distraction and improve productivity.

{photo credit}

I have been a church attender my entire life.  Since I married my husband, I have even been a pastor’s wife for a good number of years, which has opened the inner workings of the church to me in a whole new light.  Fear not, I am not disenchanted with the church, much to the contrary.  However, I have now seen the church in many lights, including a normal attender, a college student, a pastor’s wife, a parent, a play group attender, and a “counselor.”  Each role has shown me the scope and breadth of what a {good} church should offer, which is so much more than a Sunday morning service.  From counseling sessions to equipped nurseries to dynamic Bible studies and speakers to weekly services, most churches offer a variety of things for a variety of people.

Sound Travels

It's hard to enjoy the choir when you're worried your baby is going to wake up.

This all sounds good until you realize how it sounds….loud.  {pun definitely intended}  It’s difficult to focus on the message when you hear babies screaming down the hall in nursery.  It’s even harder when you recognize that little voice as your own baby wailing.  The same is true on the flip side when a Bible study is meeting next door to band practice or even the worship service itself.  Or what about all the counseling that goes on within the doors of a church- there may not be the same feeling of distraction, but there is certainly a concern for privacy and confidentiality because most assume that what they say will not only stay within the confines of those walls, but also not be overheard by anyone else, including staff and passers-by.

Sound Masking for Churches

Reducing distraction and increasing speech privacy {or at least attaining it in the first place!} are two  very good reasons to equip churches with sound masking.  Sound masking is the use of low-level white noise through speakers in the ceiling that provides a background hum that enables/forces the brain to tune out individual speech patterns or noises.  The result is a reduction in distraction and the attainment of speech privacy- ie fewer people are distracted by noise, while those who seek confidentiality get it.

Sound masking is a reasonable noise solution, given that it reduces distraction levels, as well as achieves speech privacy- plus, it can be installed in any building- new or exititng!

How can we harness technology's advantages without suffering its toll?

Average Distraction Levels

Most workers clock in at 9 and out at 5, which should add up to 8 hours, minus lunch.  However, most studies are showing that nowhere near 7-8 hours of work are being done in any work place.  Why?

Well, let’s break down the typical day at work:

• Workers are interrupted as many as 11 times an hour, with managers at about 6 times/hour and cubicle workers as much as 70 times a day!
• It takes most workers 5 minutes to get back on track
• This usually adds up to 2 hours per worker every day

Two hours per worker per day costs businesses around $600 billion a year.  That’s a staggering number, especially so since your business is not immune.  Now, it’s only fair to say that many interruptions are self-imposed or simply part of the job, such as having an open door for your employees when they need you.  However, these types of interruptions do not cover the entirety of those 2 hours per worker per day.  In fact, many polled workers state that office noise is just as much to blame.  Most are frustrated, and all but a few are less productive as a result of it.  From office gossip to personal calls to texts zinging in, office noise is at an all-time high.  And staying plugged in seems to be the name of the game.

What can you do to help your workers stay more focused on work-related tasks?

Since shutting off all distracting electronics would pretty much shut down business for the day, is there anything you can do?  Yes. Sound masking.  Truly a simple approach, sound masking is the use of white noise to cover the distracting/intrusive sounds in the typical office.  Workers can still take care of their own business, but not feel captive to others’ conversations and noise.  Basically, the white noise is run through speakers mounted directly in the ceiling tiles- many systems have paging and music systems, as well.  So, all in all, sound masking is a quick, non-invasive solution for recovering all those lost hours.

Rather than blame technology for distraction and loss of productivity, take advantage of it with sound masking!

It’s fairly common to make New Year’s Resolutions for yourself, but have you ever made them for your office?  No, I don’t mean writing resolutions for each individual employee.  Rather, I mean writing office-wide goals for the next year.  It will look a lot like a mission statement, but a lot less cheesy and a lot more effective.  Some examples might be to increase sales by a certain percentage, or to upgrade equipment by the next year, or to retain repeat business through referrals, or to improve your online presence, or to cut down on work-related stress and/or injuries.  The benefit of making resolutions is that you can evaluate the past year’s successes and even failures in light of new goals.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  What should your resolutions be?  Most people want to lose weight, quit smoking, and spend more time with family and friends.  Those are great goals, but not exactly applicable to the work place.  It’s truly up to you and your specific business to decide what kind of resolutions to make, such as more productivity and less distraction.  Just take an hour or so to sit down and reflect on the past business year, jotting down the main ups and downs and work from there on what improvements you’d like to make.  However, you’re much more likely to achieve your goals if you focus on a few things that affect everyone, such as distraction, stress, and injuries.  By improving speech privacy or even alleviating work-related stress, everyone office-wide is more able to contribute to the goals and less likely to fritter away hours or call in sick.

There’s something refreshing about January 1st and the newness of a year.  Therefore, make sure you take the time to think through what you want for 2011.

I'll take a double latte and 2 hours of distraction-free work time. Please.

Leaving Work So You Can Work (What?!)

Do you ever feel tempted to leave work so you can actually work?  As bizarre as that may sound, many of us suffer from the typical office environment so much that we have to flee to get anything done!  Whether you find regularly find yourself booking the conference room or running out to Starbuck’s, it may be that it’s office distraction that’s got you down.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes we just need a change of scenery or pace.  However, more often than not, employees report that they’re just distracted.  And it’s no wonder- crammed like so many sardines in rows of cubicles does not usually inspire moments of brilliance.

Sound Machines: Bringing Us Back into the Office

Here’s an idea: sound machines.  Our lives were transformed when we introduced this blessed and most revered little machine.  With just a little white noise our brains can tune out the distractions so common to the office that we can actually be productive and even cross things off our to-do list!  It’s invigorating to reclaim all that time lost to distractions and not feel like I have to leave work to work!

B y the way, we love our sound machines so much that we have 3 at home, too- one for each bedroom, including a portable model for travel!

Interestingly, you’re not alone in your stress.  Besides the inevitable tension a declining economy ushers in, your employees are distracted and stressed in their distraction.  You probably already know that most workers are unfocused at times during the work day.  What you might not know is that:

• the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day
• most workers feel stress as a result of that distraction

In fact, disengaged workers:

• are 18% less productive
• have 27% higher rates of absenteeism
• are 20-40% more likely to seek employment elsewhere
• make 40% fewer attempts at problem-solving
• experience more stress-related injuries as a result of not making ergonomic adjustments

Your company cannot afford loss of productivity, in addition to high rates of turn-over.  On the other hand, you can afford an ideal solution.  Sound masking is the addition of low-level background sound to reduce the impact of ambient noise.  Employees in treated areas feel less stress and are noticably more engaged and therefore more productive.  Tough times call for creative measures.  Give us a try.