How Acoustic Screens Can Boost Productivity

Distractions at work abound – from the traffic noise seeping in through a cracked window to the hubbub of a busy corridor, it can feel like your ears are under attack, especially when you have work you need to concentrate on.

We know that most employees work best in office spaces where these annoying aural distractions are kept to a minimum – in fact, three-quarters of workers report that workplace noise impedes performance and productivity.

A noise-minimizing workplace not only boosts concentration and thus worker productivity, but it also has collateral effects in terms of improved staff morale and mental well-being.

Acoustic screens and panels are the perfect way to block out unwanted sounds and create a cocoon of concentration in an otherwise noisy office space.

Below, we take a closer look at just how acoustic screens work to boost productivity and help give every employee an oasis of peace, even in the busiest workplace.

Noise Block

It’s generally recognized that sustained focus is the key driver behind workplace productivity.

But employees can’t focus if they are distracted by ringing telephones, the hum of the copier machine and the conversation in adjoining work spaces.

A strategically placed acoustic screen serves to block out and parry many of these sounds, deflecting them away and muffling the ambient noise.

The acoustic screens at a company like Rap Office Screens, for example, are fashioned from cleverly engineered materials like acoustic foam and porous wool fibres that act to absorb, dissipate and deflect unwanted sound waves.

Improved Acoustics

In addition to blocking out distracting noises, acoustic screens have an important role to play in inter-worker communication.

The screens don’t just block out sounds – they serve to improve the acoustics within a space as well, heightening the intelligibility of the voices inside the area ringfenced by the screens.

This is because an acoustic screen does a great job of reducing echo and reverberation, meaning colleagues’ voices come through crystal clear when inside the screened area, which minimizes misunderstandings and facilitates worker communication.

Personal Space

The psychological effects of having a barrier or clear demarcation of personal space shouldn’t be overlooked either.

A screen doesn’t just serve to shut out annoying audio distractions – it filters out visual ones, too, as most screens are fashioned from dense materials and covered in opaque renders that block the visual field.

By filtering out both aural and visual distractions, the office space is delineated as a place where the worker can get down to business, leaving behind – both physically and psychologically – the noise and distractions of the wider workplace.

Conclusion

Deploying acoustic screens in a workplace is a proven way of giving employees the peace and quiet they need to focus on the business at hand.

And it’s not just workers’ concentration levels that will rise – mental well-being and worker morale also tend to see an uptick when the screens are installed.