We admit it: We are passionate about noise reduction and minimizing visual distractions, no question about it! For over 20 years, we have helped offices, schools, and public environments to deliver better results in their operations. And our idea has been the same all along; to create liberating silence for both ears and eyes so that your brain can work undisturbed with the tasks.
Direct benefits of calm office solutions:
- Increased productivity
- Fewer sick leaves
- Happier employees
- More employees on-site
- Fewer resignations due to dissatisfaction
- A pleasant workplace attracts talent
25% of Sweden’s office workers suffer from noise. Twenty-five percent!
MER Architects conducted a survey with Demoskop in the summer of 2023. Here, 1,119 office employees between 18 and 65 years old answered questions about their work environment. The survey shows that one in four people says they lack the opportunity for focused work at the workplace. In fact, ‘Lack of spaces for quiet and focused work’ tops the list in every age group. The survey also states: ‘Never before have so many been on sick leave due to stress, according to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency’s annual report on mental illness in today’s working life. The report emphasizes that it is mainly deficiencies in the work environment that cause stress-related sick leave, with women reporting a significantly higher rate of sick leave than men.’
Sudden noise causes strong reactions in the body
The Swedish Work Environment Authority has published a book about noise in the workplace. It states: ‘In case of sudden, unexpected, or unknown sounds, an orientation reaction can occur. The pulse and blood pressure drop for a few seconds, the pupil dilates, blood flow in the fingers decreases, and sweat gland activity increases. The reaction is assumed to increase the person’s readiness to absorb additional information about the surroundings and react to what happened in it…’.
Your brain is thus hard-wired to react to sounds. And here, human speech plays a particularly significant role – your brain breaks all other activity to listen to what is being said. This ability is an inheritance from the time when we lived on the savanna, and it was vital to be able to listen and identify sounds.
Long-term effects of noise
What happens if the noise and sound are prolonged? From the Swedish Work Environment Authority’s book:
‘With more prolonged exposure to noise in conjunction with tasks that are made more difficult by the noise, among other things, elevated blood pressure, increased secretion of adrenaline and other stress hormones, and increased muscle tension in certain muscle groups have been noted. The effects usually occur only if the person strives to maintain a certain performance level despite the noise disturbance. The price for an unchanged performance level is thus an increased physiological stress level. The effects are also almost always intensified when the noise level is raised…’
Noise triggers direct, measurable physical reactions in the form of elevated blood pressure and stress. This often leads to costly and troublesome sick leaves, and certainly to reduced efficiency in the workplace. The Swedish Work Environment Authority’s book also reads:
‘The negative effect of the noise can, in some cases, be counteracted and performance maintained, by exerting more effort than usual. The result of this often becomes that one is extra tired after work. It means that the performance ability – for certain tasks – can be impaired after a period of noise, even if one makes an effort. The absence of noise is also perceived by many as an important comfort factor.’
In short: Noise makes you perform worse. A calm and quieter work environment makes you feel better.
Transvoice sought help from Zilenzio
The interpretation service company literally works with the voice as a working tool. They had significant problems with noise caused by speech and talk on their premises. They had already attempted to invest in sound-absorbing products which, although relatively cheap, resulted in:
- Disturbance into the interpreter calls
- Problems with overhearing and overpowering
- Disturbance of conversations and talks
- A poor work environment for employees and customers
When we came into the picture, we first made site visits to Transvoice’s premises to measure the sound levels and analyze where the problems were. Then we presented several different solutions for Transvoice to choose from. The result was positive, to say the least. Before Zilenzio’s solutions, 63% of employees considered the noise level too high. After we installed our solution, the figure is down to a fantastic 0%.
This is how Transvoice CEO Jonas Ahlstedt summarizes the effect: ‘The staff is more alert. We have even seen a slight decrease in sick leave rates. We have happier staff who feel better at the workplace. It has been positive from all aspects.’
Welcome to the silence
We make a real positive difference to your work environment. Get in touch, we are happy to come to your space to evaluate the requirements.