Noise effect on comfort in open-space offices: development of an assessment questionnaire

It is currently accepted that noise is one of the most important annoyance factors in open-space offices. However, noise levels measured in open spaces of the tertiary sector rarely exceed 65 dB(A). It, therefore, appears necessary to develop a tool that can be used to assess the noise environment of these offices and identify the parameters to be taken into consideration when assessing the noise annoyance. This article presents a questionnaire to be filled by people working in such environment, and a case study in different open plan offices. The majority of the 237 respondents consider that the ambient noise level in their environment is high and that intelligible conversations between their colleagues represent the main source of noise annoyance. This annoyance was significantly correlated with their evaluation of sound intensity, which could not be represented by A-weighted level measurements. Practitioner Summary: This article presents a short questionnaire aimed to evaluate the employees' comfort in an open-plan office and to propose optimal modifications of the office. Answers collected from 237 respondents showed that intelligible conversations represent the main source of noise annoyance; moreover, overall noise level is not related to this annoyance.

[1]  U. Sailer,et al.  Assessing noise annoyance: an improvement-oriented approach , 2000, Ergonomics.

[2]  E Keskinen,et al.  Performance effects and subjective disturbance of speech in acoustically different office types--a laboratory experiment. , 2009, Indoor air.

[3]  Dylan M. Jones,et al.  Disruption of proofreading by irrelevant speech: Effects of attention, arousal or memory? , 1990 .

[4]  J Pejtersen,et al.  Indoor climate, psychosocial work environment and symptoms in open-plan offices. , 2006, Indoor air.

[5]  S A Stansfeld,et al.  Building health: an epidemiological study of “sick building syndrome” in the Whitehall II study , 2006, Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

[6]  G. Newsham,et al.  A model of satisfaction with open-plan office conditions: COPE field findings , 2007 .

[7]  Barbara Griefahn.  Determination of noise sensitivity within an internet survey using a reduced version of the Noise Sensitivity Questionnaire , 2008 .

[8]  Barbara Griefahn,et al.  Factorial validity of the noise sensitivity questionnaire. , 2007, Noise & health.

[9]  N. Weinstein.  Individual differences in reactions to noise: a longitudinal study in a college dormitory. , 1978, The Journal of applied psychology.

[10]  C. Philip Beaman,et al.  Auditory distraction from low‐intensity noise: a review of the consequences for learning and workplace environments , 2005 .

[11]  A D Baddeley,et al.  The phonological loop and the irrelevant speech effect: Some comments on Neath (2000) , 2000, Psychonomic bulletin & review.

[12]  G. Fleury-Bahi,et al.  Évaluer la satisfaction envers l’espace de travail : développement d’une échelle et première validation , 2017 .

[13]  Wolfgang Ellermeier,et al.  Psychometric properties of four measures of noise sensitivity: a comparison , 1999 .

[14]  Judith K Sluiter,et al.  Effects of office innovation on office workers' health and performance , 2009, Ergonomics.

[15]  G Kishi,et al.  Reliability and Validity , 1999 .

[16]  A. Kjellberg,et al.  Noise Annoyance during the Performance of Different Nonauditory Tasks , 1991, Perceptual and motor skills.

[17]  G. Dagenais,et al.  Reliability and validity of the French version of the 18-item Karasek job content questionnaire , 1998 .

[18]  V Hongisto,et al.  A model predicting the effect of speech of varying intelligibility on work performance. , 2005, Indoor air.

[19]  A. Kjellberg,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF NONPHYSICAL NOISE CHARACTERISTICS, ONGOING TASK AND NOISE SENSITIVITY ON ANNOYANCE AND DISTRACTION DUE TO NOISE AT WORK , 1996 .

[20]  Staffan Hygge,et al.  Irrelevant speech and indoor lighting: effects on cognitive performance and self‐reported affect , 2002 .

[21]  Eric Sundstrom,et al.  Office Noise, Satisfaction, and Performance , 1994 .

[22]  R. Job.  Community response to noise: A review of factors influencing the relationship between noise exposure and reaction , 1988 .

[23]  M. Robertson,et al.  The Role of Environmental Control on Environmental Satisfaction, Communication, and Psychological Stress , 2004 .

[24]  Dylan M. Jones,et al.  Auditory babble and cognitive efficiency: Role of number of voices and their location , 1995 .

[25]  D C LeCompte,et al.  Extending the irrelevant speech effect beyond serial recall. , 1994, Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition.

[26]  P Paul F M Kuijer,et al.  The effect of office concepts on worker health and performance: a systematic review of the literature , 2005, Ergonomics.

[27]  Cornelia Wulff,et al.  Office design's impact on sick leave rates , 2014, Ergonomics.

[28]  Christina Bodin Danielsson,et al.  Office Type in Relation to Health, Well-Being, and Job Satisfaction Among Employees , 2008 .

[29]  Esko Keskinen,et al.  Perceived acoustic environment, work performance and well-being - survey results from Finnish offices , 2008 .

[30]  J Nemecek,et al.  Noise in landscaped offices. , 1973, Applied ergonomics.

[31]  Anders Kjellberg,et al.  Exposure levels, tonal components, and noise annoyance in working environments , 1995 .

[32]  D. Berry,et al.  Disruption of office‐related tasks by speech and office noise , 1998 .

[33]  Eric Sundstrom,et al.  Work Places: The Psychology of the Physical Environment in Offices and Factories , 1986 .

[34]  A Buchner,et al.  Irrelevant auditory material affects counting. , 1998, Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition.

[35]  Dylan M. Jones,et al.  Disruption of comprehension by the meaning of irrelevant sound , 2000, Memory.

[36]  R.F.S. Job,et al.  The influence of subjective reactions to noise on health effects of the noise , 1996 .

[37]  V Hongisto,et al.  Effects of acoustic environment on work in private office rooms and open-plan offices – longitudinal study during relocation , 2009, Ergonomics.

[38]  So Young Lee,et al.  Can personal control over the physical environment ease distractions in office workplaces? , 2010, Ergonomics.

[39]  S P Banbury,et al.  Office noise and employee concentration: Identifying causes of disruption and potential improvements , 2005, Ergonomics.

[40]  J. Brand,et al.  Effects of control over office workspace on perceptions of the work environment and work outcomes , 2005 .

[41]  A. Marks,et al.  The development of the noise sensitivity questionnaire. , 2007, Noise & health.

[42]  H M Miedema,et al.  Exposure-response relationships for transportation noise. , 1998, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.