back to nature: curing open office noise | seattle interactive 2017
TRANSCRIPT
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Curing Open Office Noise
Beau WilderVP, Innovation Waves and New Products
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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
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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
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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The law of productivityHigh-Quality Work Produced =
(Time Spent) X (Intensity of Focus)
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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
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"Millennials – now the largest generation in the
U.S. workforce – were especially annoyed by
noise, more than other age groups."
Oxford Economics Study 2016
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There’s a Missing
Puzzle Piece
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• 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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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Creating a balanced environment
Sound
LightTemperature
Color
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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
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Intelligent, Adaptive Software
Adaptive Soundscaping IntelligenceIntelligently adjusts to block distracting speech
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Distraction Distance (No Soundscaping)
32 ftDistraction Distance (With Soundscaping)
13 ft Percentage Difference
59%
*Used Speech Transmission Index to test distraction distance
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You’re Invited
Hoofddorp, Netherlands Santa Cruz, California