If you feel that you use only the sense of vision at work, think again. It can be difficult to concentrate if you are working in a noisy environment or the aroma of the office canteen is distracting you. You are writing a report and a colleague opens her tiffin, and you find yourself getting attracted to the chicken biryani. So, it is not only the visual sense that is most important at work.
Remember how Nawazuddin Siddiqui would suddenly appear whenever Irfan Khan would open his tiffin in the film ‘Lunch Box’?
Studies at the Human Experience Lab at Perkins & Wills have shown that office acoustics play a great role in facilitating concentration at work. Loud noises have become the biggest spoiler for productivity and creativity at work.
Neuroscientists study how the brain processes information received from different senses. They have shown that along with visual, office spaces need to create conducive environment for hearing as well for optimum productivity and efficiency.
If the level of background noise closely matches or is louder than the sound level of speech, it is harder to hear accurately. If nearby speech is not relevant to your team or your work, it becomes even more distracting. In addition, if you are listening in a second language, then speech needs to be even louder than the background noise.
There are ways to handle a situation if you work with noisy colleagues. But you can do little to control other background noises. The most useful thing is to find spaces within the office that are conducive to the kind of work you do. Some like music around them, some like quiet.
So, find your happy space within your office.
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