Most distractions at work are annoying...and they all cost something.

Regardless of the time of year or the weather outside or the deadlines looming, most workers find themselves distracted more than 2 hours every day.  A 2-hour loss of productivity is quite a hit in this economy where every minute counts.  It’s essential that we keep our minds on task and our heads out of the clouds.

If you ask the average worker what distracts him or her, you’d get a variety of answers, most of which are external distractions (meaning not their own fault).  In fact, surveyed workers say that all they want is a chance to do distraction-free solo work, work that doesn’t get constantly interrupted by seemingly unnecessary meetings or office chatter.

Sound Machine (aka white noise machine)

A simple, inexpensive solution for distraction is use of a sound machine.  Sound machines have many advantages and few disadvantages.  Sound machines come in a variety of shapes and sizes and offer a host of features that are usually adjustable for individual users.

How does white noise work?

Sound machines use white noise to help the brain tune out unwanted noises.  The result is two-fold: The brain is literally tricked into not perceiving various noises.  By not hearing or processing distracting sounds, the worker stays on track and disciplines his or her mind not to wander.

The cool thing is that while they help you get past intrusive noises, the white noise machine itself isn’t so loud that it issues a equally disturbing noise.  In fact, the worker in the cubicle next door is usually fairly oblivious to it even being turned on.  Plus, the user can choose what type of white noise to use from a myriad of nature sounds or a gentle hum like that of an HVAC system.

Why Go with Individual Machines?

White noise machines are much more efficient than headphones for covering office noise.  White noise usually keeps the mind focuses, whereas listening to music may end up becoming way more of a distraction that the office noise.  On the other extreme, while many businesses opt for office-wide sound masking, sometimes they find it prudent to treat small offices or individual cubicles with white noise machines instead.  This way, only some areas are treated, which might be all that is needed.

Do you struggle with distraction at work?  Chances are you do.  In fact, most people are distracted more than 2 hours every day.  What could you do with 2 more hours every day?  Now, what could your business do with 2 more hours per employee??

3 Uses of White Noise in the Office

How do you regain lost time in the office?  Well, you can’t ban cell phones and texting, but you can take control of all the noise heard round the office.  Rather than try to control noise, why not moderate it?  With white noise, you actually add noise to tune out noise.  By adding low-level unstructured noise from all over the sound spectrum, you allow your brain to tune out potentially distracting sounds and focus in on work.  Here are 3 common uses of white noise.

• 

  An emitter, or speaker, for a sound masking system

  Free White Noise Generator: a free online generator that can be customized by the user.

• Sonet Sound System: A great individual solution for noise that is even and effective and doesn’t require any specialized knowledge.
• Sound Masking: The best office-wide sound solution with invisible uniform distribution through speakers in the ceiling tiles.

Choosing which form of white noise to implement is largely dependent upon how large a group you need coverage for.  Ideally, every office would install sound masking, thus protecting the time of every employee.  However, not all businesses have a budget to cover that and some companies have opted for individual systems, such as the Sonet.  The main difference is how much space is treated.  It’s up to you to decide what your company needs and how valuable your time is.

Nick noticed that his employees were not socializing as much during working hours. Because conversations could not be heard more than 10 to 15 feet away (unlike before, when they could be heard all the way across the 4500 square foot call center), people were not getting into so many conversations, and were consequently experiencing less distraction and able to work more. Nick had several employees tell him they feel they are now more focused and efficient during the work day. “I think we’re covering up the noise that’s there, but I think there’s less noise to begin with because people aren’t talking quite as much.”

So not only does white noise reduce distraction by taking away a lot of the common things that distract people, but it also lowered the overall volume of the call center because people were not talking and interacting as much since they were working. People working more with less distraction? Sounds like sound masking was effective here.

Could you use sound masking in your space to help your employees focus and work better?

Another experience I had with an effective brand space was a mother’s lounge in Tesco Supermarkets. They offered a private place to feed baby, a selection of their brand of diapers for changing the baby, and some other activities for a toddler to do while mommy is feeding the baby. I will admit to going back to that store numerous times in part because of that one room in their store.

Is there some way you could utilize a brand space to promote your company or product? It doesn’t have to be child- related to be effective. The examples I mentioned above are empathetic brand spaces–spaces used to help a person out. Some other types are brand spaces used for trying things out or for learning things. The one that comes to mind first for me are Apple Stores. Not only are you able to hold and use all their gadgets in the stores, they also offer free workshops about their products and how to utilize them in their customer’s lives.

Think about how you and your company are uniquely capable of helping people and create an experience based on that. It’s very effective advertising, and you know word travels!

What lengths would you go to to deal with office noise?

I work in an open-plan office which is shared by several disparate teams. What the team on the other side of my partition actually do[es] I know not, other than that it appears to be something hilarious as their conversations are frequently punctuated by loud laughter that reverberates around the entire floorplace. I’ve tried looking daggers at them whenever a particularly noisy guffaw interrupts my train of concentration, but I am tempted to ask of them: “If there’s a joke, let’s all share it!” Can you suggest an alternative approach?
Louisa Radice, Exeter

Stunning Stentor! Lord of the loud-mouths. Red ear-plugs, as worn by tractor drivers? Wax from the chemist? To work in open-plan one has to cultivate an invisible carapace that cuts out extraneous noise. It is the job of the manager to cut out stentorian uproar that distracts others from their work. For Puck’s sake do not look daggers. You will make your neighbours laugh louder, and get yourself a reputation as a spoilsport and a prude.

I have to agree.  While the complaint is noteworthy, the response is dead-on: It is the job of the manager to cut out stentorian uproar that distracts others from their work.

Attention, all managers!

Did you know that your employees look to you to solve office noise issues?  The average employee loses more than 2 hours every day because of distractions like the one described above.  Interestingly, most employees do not appreciate this loss.  Your job is to keep your workers focused- not by micro-managing, but through reasonable means, such as sound masking.  Sound masking is the use of white noise to help your employees tune out irritating distracting noises so they can focus on their work.  Many sound masking systems can be installed directly in the ceiling tiles themselves, so while highly effective, they are practically invisible.

Distractions cost businesses over $500 billion every year, possibly as much as $700 billion.  What do you want to bet your company has a piece of that?

Regardless of the solstice, summer is upon us full-force.  More than ever, workers are distracted.  Whether it’s longing looks out the window or distracting co-workers, most people are not firing on all cylinders these days.  Rather than get frustrated about it, micro-manage them to death, or worst of all ignore the problem completely, why not be creative in your problem-solving?

There are actually a variety of reasons your employees are not working to their full potential- let’s look a few common office hindrances.

Common Office Hindrances

• Annoying co-workers and office noise in general
• Repetitive Stress Injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Ill-fitting desks and chairs
• Disorganized work stations
• Back, shoulder, and neck pain

While office noise is quite obvious in most cases, most of the rest of these problems are largely unnoticed until it’s too late.  Thus, valuable hours of productivity are lost every day, and no one seems to know why.  I’d like to offer a few solutions, ergonomic and otherwise.

Ergonomic (& Other) Solutions

• 

  Good ergonomic posture: monitor is eye level, back and feet are supported, arms are neutrally positioned.

  Install a sound masking system.  The use of low-level white noise will cover intrusive noise, thus allowing each worker the freedom to do “distraction-free solo work.”

• Do a quick ergonomic refresher, reminding workers how important it is to take care of themselves.  Points to be emphasized: never over-extending to reach and neutral body positioning, especially for backs, necks, shoulder, arms, and wrists.
• Encourage workers to adjust their chairs and desks for a better, more comfortable fit.  Raising or lowering arm rests can help workers keep their arms and wrists in line, as well as enable workers to sit more comfortably and relieve pressure on their backs, etc.
• Institute a Friday afternoon “Re-Org” hour from 4-5pm.  No one works well at 4pm on a Friday.  Why not allow your employees the freedom to get their desks reorganized and all their ducks in a  row for next week?

Many times, just changing their habits will keep employees in better shape and therefore more productive.  As for management, it might be time to consider office-wide solutions, such as sound masking and better ergonomic products (adjustable chairs and/or desks, ergonomic keyboards and mice, etc.).

I would suggest to you that sound masking could help in the realm of keeping sleeping children asleep. You can offer comfy (and safe!) cribs, and a dark room, but if there is lots of little noises from other children who are also sleeping (or maybe not sleeping), or even from other kids that are still awake and playing in the other room, then it makes sleeping and staying asleep difficult for little ones. Effective use of sound masking can help to reduce background noise and mask over the variable noises in the room (which so often is what awakes a sleeping baby) to give little Aiden or Isabelle the best chance possible to sleep for as long as they need to. I know not only from experience (since I have used white noise/sound masking for both of my children), but experts also recommend it. Give it a try and see if it increases the number of well rested and happy children in your center.

Just because it's vast doesn't mean the boardroom can't be personal and confidential.

When most people think of a boardroom, they picture Donald Trump and “The Apprentice.”  They can feel the tension and the importance of the decisions made, but it’s hard to visualize what essentials must go into a successful boardroom.  And ever since the Hewlett- Packard boardroom scandal of 2006, the topic of boardroom essentials has solidified into two major components:

1. Trust
2. Confidentiality

Trust

Members of the board must feel like they are valued and respected.  Part of being respected is feeling like you can say what you need to without feeling like it’s going to be repeated in the wrong context- or repeated at all.

Confidentiality

Thus, trust is closely linked to confidentiality.  Members of the board must be sure that what is said is guarded inside the boardroom.

How to supply trust and confidentiality

Establishing confidentiality in the boardroom starts with establishing the right context.

• The Chairman of the Board needs to set the mood.  It is wise for the Chairman of the Board to model respect and trust while also verbally setting the expected and necessary standard for the rest of the board.
• Members of the board should be instructed to leave their opinions and their statements about a discussion, debate, or hot topic within the confines of the boardroom, unless specifically directed otherwise.  Speaking out of turn, especially to the media, often leads to paralyzing set-backs and false accusations.
• It may be beneficial to assign the role of spokesperson to one board member who can be trusted to carefully articulate the consensus of the entire board.
• Sound masking- the use of  white noise literally covers sound to render it unintelligible, thereby keeping what is said private.  You can achieve “confidential” levels of privacy (as measured by the Privacy Index) through the installation of speakers that emit low-level white noise directly from the ceiling tiles.

Safeguarding Your Boardroom

Boardroom confidentiality hinges on several factors: trust and confidential privacy.  It’s crucial to ensure that each member can speak his or her mind freely and confidentially.

The McCord Real Estate Team

My mother and father are very successful realtors in Dallas, Texas.  My mom got her license first in 1997 and began working in a real estate office.  She quickly abandoned that office in favor of a home office because of office noise.  There were a number of issues at hand:

• Distraction- too much office noise was distracting while she tried to work or make calls
• Overheard Personal Information- she didn’t want other agents or passers-by to overhear her personal information as she made calls
• Competing agents- there were times that the agent on the other side of a deal she was negotiating was present in the office.  The last thing she wanted was for that agent to hear her confirming a seller’s bottom price or a buyer’s top price
• Lack of professionalism- similar to distraction, ambient office noise in the background does not sound personal and professional to a client on the other end of a call or in a meeting at the office

So, for the above reasons, my mom left the office and set up her own home office.  Fortunately, she has the discipline to treat her home office as an office and still be professional.  However, this is not the case for many, nor is working from home even a possibility for most.

Sound Masking for Realtors

A better solution for most would be the addition of a sound masking system within the office building itself.  Many systems are installed directly in the ceiling tiles themselves and the speakers emit white noise.  This low-level background noise covers distracting sounds and also provides privacy and confidentiality for all parties involved.

The result is that real estate agents can work productively in their offices, and their clients can get the best representation possible.  That’s an investment worth making.

Whether your employees are less engaged and therefore less productive and more prone to making errors or your clients leave feeling harried and less than impressed, office noise is a problem no matter how you look at it.

You can’t control a crowd outside the building or even the crowd inside the building (your work force), but you can be proactive in managing these distractions.  Rather than coming down with an iron fist or moving the entire staff, why don’t you try subtler techniques, such as sound masking.

How does sound masking work?

Essentially, sound masking is the super-version of white noise.  The idea is the same- white noise (employed by sound masking) is a combination of sound from all different frequencies.  The result is that your brain can’t focus on one specific (unwanted, distracting) noise and is able to be more engaged on work.

The happy results

It may sound too good to be true, but as the following improvements show, sound masking works.  With the addition of low-level background noise, employees had the following positive results:

• Focus: the ability of office workers to focus on their tasks improved by 48%
• Distractions: “conversational distractions” decreased by 51%
• Error-rates: performance of standard “information-worker” tasks (measured in terms of accuracy [error-rates] and short-term memory) improved by 10%
• Stress: when measured in terms of the actual physical symptoms of stress, stress was reduced by 27%

It’s hard to argue with better focus, fewer distractions and mistakes, as well as lower stress.