Sound masking (also called “white noise”, “pink noise”, or “speech privacy” systems) is a must when it comes to verbal communication privacy in commercial buildings. The HIPAA privacy law makes speech privacy a requirement in health care facilities and medical clinics and its value in the business world has dramatically increased as open office plans become more prevalent due to the increased need for more collaborative environments. In 2012 a workplace research survey was conducted and one of the top five reasons for employee dissatisfaction was Speech Privacy. Another survey discovered that 48% of participants stated that speech was the most distracting source of noise in the office leading to a productivity loss on average of 21.5 minutes each day. Speech distraction is the number one source of reduced efficiency and results in 5% of lost time each day, equating to a significance in financial losses in wasted productivity.
It’s no surprise that Cambridge Sound Management, the original sound masking company, continues its success in creating innovative products that you can trust and that provide the best possible cost effective speech privacy system. Between the years 2006-2008 a study was conducted measuring participants’ short-term memory recall in office environments both with and without sound masking. At the end of the study they found that the participants’ ability to recall a series of numbers increased by a number of 8.7% as well as an increase of 7.8% recollection of words in environments where sound masking was deployed.
Numbers don’t lie so what’s holding you back from increasing the productivity in your office? With today’s smaller office workstations, open layouts and higher number of reflective work surfaces, the ABCs (Absorb, Bock, and Cover) of acoustic design are lost in the working environment. Contact Fearing’s today to discover more about Cambridge Sound Management’s Qt Quiet Technology and different levels of sound masking, its effectiveness and how your space can benefit from its integration.
