Portable buildings – ‘Sounds’ good or not so good?

It may SOUND crazy but many business completely overlook the importance of the general wellbeing of staff in addition to the the potential positive benefits of productivity gains from providing the best work environment. If you consider that staffing costs represent probably around 80% of your operating costs then anything that can be done? or provided? to improve productivity is going to ultimately increase both morale and profitability, and those who choose to ignore? or indeed who have overlooked this should really take serious note. Poor acoustics quality not only impacts productivity but can lead to poor mental health, where it is estimated that it costs businesses in the UK approx £30 billion per annum in lost production, recruitment and absence…..in effect you’re very probably loosing a small part of a vastly significant sum of money. Acoustics then should be a subject which all employers, employees and business owners should take very very seriously. It’s fact that we are all generally both accepting and accustomed to the many distractions we encounter daily from both external and internal sources of noise pollution….external noise like traffic, plant movements or siren’s for example or internally background chatter, phones, printers, or general noise from movement etc are a constant irritant we subconsciously endure but never the less are the lead causes of general dissatisfaction, productivity loss and poor morale than probably any other factor including light, heat and air quality.

‍Noise it is proved is the biggest hinderance to anyone trying to carry out their work accurately, efficiently or productively and thus leads to increased levels of stress which obviously has a negative impact on health. Studies have shown that it is beyond doubt that the most vital attributes to a functioning and productive office worker is reading comprehension and memory to which both are severely affected by noise pollution. A study conducted in 2005 found that an incredible 99% of office based workers surveyed reported concentration being impaired by unwanted noise. In a further survey conducted by the Leesman review 76% of office based employees listed noise as an important workspace consideration, however only 30% were satisfied with the noise in their workspace. Modern Open Plan Portable Offices are not just designed to be a convenient “quick fix” to a general lack of office space, open plan portable offices are designed also to help workers interact, collaborate and communicate easily but this obviously has a disruptive impact to a productive environment. Disruptive noise is everywhere…..a part and parcel of normal office life you may assume…..with RENT-A-UNIT® you assume wrong. All hard surfaces, floors, walls and ceilings….even furniture affect a rooms acoustics and the more sound waves like chatter, air conditioning, traffic noise, telephones, printers etc etc the more noise which bounce around off these hard surfaces are thus ever greater causes to work distraction. So if we can agree bad acoustics has a detrimental impact on employee productivity and health, then is it not unreasonable to conclude good acoustics will no doubt bring to your business many positive benefits ? Interestingly the Wall Street Journal cited a study which found that once distracted, it took approx 23 minutes for the average worker to regain concentration!! So I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s pretty conclusive….if you can provide an acoustic friendly environment…..then the extra investment should prove more than worth it….if you and your employees are less distracted then they ultimately become far more focused, efficient and thus productive, and with better mental health follows less absenteeism and improved morale.

‍Rent-A-Unit® is not only developing portable buildings with vastly improved positive acoustics, but we are constantly looking at every factor which we understand will bring numerous positive benefits to our customers. We are constantly looking into external studies into areas like noise, acoustic furniture, lighting, natural light and vision, temperature and also the positive benefits of providing additional employee space, therefore building as standard oversized units to a very high worker friendly specifications.

‍If you can begin to grasp the concept of the importance of acoustics, and the worthwhile initial investment in the form of acoustic floor coverings, wall panels, furniture pinboards etc, then you will understand numerous positive benefits to your staff and thus business and the long term ongoing return on your investment. We would welcome you to take the time and pay us a visit to view our Squadron(r) portable building range and our specially adapted acoustic office units on display.

August 5, 2020