Author: nigel@ezobord.co.uk

After a year of working from home, many employees who are now back in the office have reported difficulties with adapting to the situation. Along with a lengthy commute and the associated expense, unacceptable noise levels in the office are top of the list.

As a result, companies have noticed the early indication of a downward trend in productivity and concerning reports of reduced employee well-being. Employers will need to invest in workspaces to ensure the safety, comfort and productivity of their workforces or face a concerning decline in productivity over the next year.

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A recent study surveyed 2000 adults and was conducted by the Institute of Facilities Management. The survey was sent to employees who had been working from home and had now begun their return to the workplace.

A quarter of those surveyed worryingly said they had not seen any changes to the office and facilities at all upon their return. This includes no changes to the layout of their workspaces and no attempts made to reduce sound or provide quiet work zones. Of most concern this also means they saw no attempts at all in the workplace to help them meet social distancing guidelines.

A third of all respondents reported that they are now unhappy to share a bank of desks with co-workers.

These results prompted the Chief Executive of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management, Linda Hausmanis to say: “As we move into new modes of working, businesses must adapt physical spaces, working culture and supporting technologies.”

Many reported that they felt less productive in the office and struggled to cope with the myriad of distractions they now faced.

They cited the main issues as:

1.      Poor internet connections

2.      Overheard and distracting conversations

3.      A lack of facilities to hold video conferencing meetings

From the results of the report, it is evident that younger workers are struggling more with the return to shared offices. What can businesses do to support their staff?

Alongside the Institute of Facilities Management report another recent poll from YouGov found that a majority of workers (57%) would like to continue to work from home for part of the week.

Many companies have adopted an official hybrid work model that enables staff to work from home for several days per week and asks them to return to the office for key meetings. The likes of Global giant companies like Apple and Google both have CEOs who cite collaboration and a lack of creativity as the main casualties during the pandemic and from September 2021 a return to the shared workplace is their preferred outcome for all staff.

In their staff communication Apple referred to a hum of activity, creativity, and collaboration that a return to the office will bring. But how can creativity happen if staff are feeling unhappy and not safe in the office? Companies now have an opportunity to create specific spaces for collaboration and discussion whilst ensuring privacy, safety, and security for all employees.

As the research above shows though, the creative utopia CEOs dream of may not just happen as might have been the case in the past for many businesses. The opportunities for creativity and collaboration will need to be supported with workspaces that make employees feel comfortable.

Leaving the peace and quiet and freer timetables of working from home, staff report feeling frustrated and resent the constant distractions they experience in the noisy office.

A recent article in WIRED magazine interviewed a woman who said she was astonished at just how loud her open plan office was after 16 months of working from home. The constant interruption and overheard private conversations led her to feel uncomfortable and longing to return home.

Others spoke of the now almost impossible task of holding a video conferencing meeting at their desks when they are surrounded by distracting noise. Added to this they reported that they are unnerved by the potential for their own conversations to be overheard during the calls. This has led staff to book meeting rooms in which to hold their online meetings!

The desire for privacy only met by working in a meeting room just isn’t sustainable in most shared workplaces.

Research shows that these feelings of frustration in a noisy office directly impacts mental health that in time can lead to constant stress. Stress in turn impacts productivity and so too does the constant interruptions those returning to the office in 2021 report.

The bad news is humans don’t even have to physically keep stopping work for our performance to be impaired. Just the mental capacity and actions our brain must perform to block out sound distractions leads to a decline in performance. Even simple tasks become difficult to conduct when dealing with acoustically varying sounds – such as overheard conversations, traffic noise and music.

What is the solution?

Simple additions to the working day such as noise cancelling headphones can help. Or reducing the number of occupants in any one space to reduce the noise levels and distractions. With most offices however this isn’t practical and it’s also not a long-term solution to creating a quiet work environment, relying on individuals to put on headphones.

With these issues in mind ezoBord has created a range of desk dividers and screens that reduce background noise and improve speech intelligibility to help teams work without distractions.

ezoBord acoustic desk dividers work with almost all desks regardless of their dimensions and give a sense of privacy and security that people returning to work crave.

The newest concept from ezoBord – “Hoody” is a mobile sound reducing workstation and desk dividing system that ensures a sense of privacy and enclosure. It can be used as a single workstation, or there are options for banks of desks.

You can find out more information and download technical specifications for Hoody here.

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Many employees in the UK are on the brink of another change in the home working routines that were thrust upon them during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. A return to a company’s workspace is met with anticipation by some employees but in some cases there is apprehension. Companies, now more than ever, need to ensure optimal levels of comfort for employees – to help their general well-being, mental health, and productivity.

 Light and sound levels play a key role in ensuring we create comfortable and productive workspaces for our valuable teams.

We also design and manufacture custom-made and bespoke acoustic solutions.

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The level of light in a workplace is key in creating productive and healthy environments. Ergonomic lighting conditions improve wellbeing, motivation, effectiveness, performance, and satisfaction.

Productivity is known to increase in general when working in daylight and overall visual performance improves with better illumination as eye strain and headaches are reduced. Fewer days taken off work by employees due to these eye health issues leads to greater productivity in a company.

The ideal combination for comfortable office and working light levels is a combination of daylight, indirect light and task centric lighting. Different tasks require different levels of illumination, and the age of the inhabitants plays a role in the creation of comfortable and effective light levels. Illuminance (measured in Lux) determines how much light falls in an area. Older people (45 years plus) and the visually impaired need a Lux of 750 -1500 depending on the tasks required of their roles, whilst younger employees can work effectively at a Lux of 500.

The light colour and temperature also play a part in visual comfort – measured in Kelvin. Natural light varies throughout the day with blueish light in the early morning and more reddish in the evening. Warm, natural white and daylight bulbs and LED’s can help replicate this in areas of low natural day light. As a general guide daylight white light of 6,000 Kelvin would be too bright for most workspaces and 4,000 Kelvin in considered neutral and a productive light level.

The ideal positioning of any desk area is still near daylight so the battle for the desk with a view is still real in 2021!

In shared spaces and open plan offices where responsibility for maintaining lights is not always clear or in any space with high ceilings with lights that are hard to access, it’s important to keep lights clean and to replace flickering bulbs. Reduced light levels and flickering can lead to fatigue, eye problems, and headaches in susceptible inhabitants. Also, the use of long-life LED’s is ideal in these spaces as they require infrequent replacement and upkeep.

Disruptive noise is one of the leading causes of decreased productivity and staff absenteeism in the UK.  Noise can affect a person’s cardiovascular system, leading to hypertension, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, and anger. Creating balanced acoustic environments is therefore an essential consideration in the UK as people begin their return to their places of work.

Communication and the power of the human voice is essential in our world, but background noise and unexpected noise is intrusive, and it impacts the well-being and therefore the productivity in a workspace. A peaceful environment is a basic human need and without it the quality of our interactions is impacted at work. Managing noise levels and creating balanced room acoustics can be achieved by using different acoustic treatments that deaden sound and prevent reverberation.  Like lighting solutions, a layered approach is optimal with the use of wall panels or tiles, desk dividers and ceiling acoustic treatments.  

As modern design and architecture often favours the visual impact and elegance of large expanses of smooth, hard surfaces like concrete, the need for ways to reduce sound reverberation grows. These hard surfaces enable sound to spread and targeted solutions are needed to prevent excessive reverberation.

A recent study from the University of Berkely found that:

• 40% said noise affects their ability to concentrate.
• 64% are dissatisfied when listening to others’ phone calls.
• 76% found the fact that they can be overheard disturbing.

Rail from ezoBord – a combined solution for optimal light and sound

At ezoBord we have created Rail – a ceiling treatment that illuminates at an optimal lighting level whilst reducing reverberation and high noise levels.

The Rail system combines elegantly designed acoustic sections to prevent noise reverberation with optimal LED lighting available in a range of light colour temperature.

Rail is available in an array of geometric designs, colours and finishes to adapt to a space’s look or to create a design feature that acts as a visual anchor.

Rail is a cost-effective solution to issues with lighting and acoustics that allows designers to optimise valuable space. Each acoustic section is made from recycled polyester fibre made from at least 50% recycled plastic water bottles.

More information and to download technical specification for Rail- button and link to UK landing page.

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Treat the whole space, improves well being and comprehension. Modulates certain wavelengths of sound so speech is clearer.

Cost to the environment, 40% sound reductions, increased productivity amongst employees. Optimal workspaces. Considered within the design aesthetic. Use of 50% recycled materials.

Colour psychology is the study of how colour impacts and influences our moods and behaviour as humans. Colour psychology states that colour trigger automatic emotions in us all but those emotions can vary by the context we encounter the colour in and the culture we live in.

Emotions in turn affect our actions such as our decision making and our levels of productivity. It also states that different colours have different meanings for us all. The emotions triggered by experiencing colour in turn lead to behaviours both positive and negative.

Ancient Egyptian’s Use of Colour to Heal

The ancient Egyptian studied colour and the effect on our moods and they used colours holistically in their medicines and treatments.

They believed that:

Red – Increases circulation and stimulates the body and mind.
Yellow – Purifies the body and helps the nerves.
Orange – Increases energy.
Blue – Soothes pain.
Purple – Helps with skin problems.
Black – Life and rebirth.

The Creator of Colour Psychology

Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist (1875 – 1961) first studied colour as a tool for psychotherapy and developed the theories that form the basis of colour psychology that is used in marketing (especially branding theory), architecture and interior design. Jung famously said, “colours are the mother tongue of the subconscious.” His work led him to develop art therapy and he believed that our cultural perceptions to colour worked in tandem with a universal bodily response to colour.

The five main points of his study showed that:

• Colour has a specific meaning.
• That meaning can be learned, innate or biological.
• When you see a colour, you evaluate it, and it causes a behaviour.
• The influence the colour has on you is automatic.
• The meaning of the colour is affected by context.

The impact of colour

So, this means that the impact of certain colours could reasonably vary from country to country, cultural reference to culture reference across the globe. What a fascinating prospect for a company like ezoBord, working with designers and architects in workplaces across the world. Some fundamental behaviours associated with colour do seem to work regardless of country however:

Blue

The colour blue has been scientifically proved to lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress. It’s universally associated with productivity and is a popular and dependable colour when used in branding.

Yellow

Yellow associated with welcoming – warmth, the sun and happiness, but use a too bright hue and it’s associated with hunger and frustration! Yellow has also been shown to cause eyestrain and increased annoyance in the workplace.

Red

Red – the positive aspects of using red are stimulation and excitement, increasing the heart rate and brain activity. It’s the colour of love, passion and for danger. Studies have shown that employees don’t like to linger in red areas.

Pink

Seen in Western cultures as a feminine colour it gives feeling of relaxation and comfort. It is often used in spaces used for wellbeing and relaxation.

White

Clean, sterile, and ideal for specific workplaces but it can also cause eye strain particularly if combined with highly reflective surfaces.

Green

A restorative and calming colour that also implies associations of energy and youth traditionally. Olive shades of green have been shown to increase concentration levels and to aid deep levels of intense studying. It is also a colour that is restful to the eye and calming.

Monotone

Environments that rely on one neutral colour have been shown to negatively impact mood, morals, and employee productivity.