Office sound masking is integral in the workspace for protecting confidential business conversations sensitive information, and maintaining staff morale.
In quoting Taylored System, “white and pink noise is the only acoustical treatments involving all sound paths. Go here to learn how sound masking works.
The effect can be altered with sound masking, but fixed components do not change, including the walls, flooring, and ceiling.
Sound’s signal produces an energy that decides the noise’s color, according to Healthline’s research. Regardless of the frequency of white noise, the energy is equal at every level. Many people incorporate this noise consistently as part of their background in the form of static fans or air conditioning.
Pink noise differs in that the energy is equal at each octave. Compared to white noise, “pink noise is like white with the bass turned up.” Examples include the sound of leaves rustling, rain falling steadily, or ocean waves.
It is suggested that this is a more favorable sound in a business atmosphere and better masks sensitive conversations.
Why is Sound Masking Necessary?
Especially when working in a small business environment, a sound masking system is vital to prevent overhearing private conversations or passing on sensitive information that should remain discreet.
In certain industries, discretion is mandatory, including healthcare, the legal field, the government, and any financial sector. Typically, employees will speak privately in a conference area when engaging with clients or other staff members on business matters.
The ideal scenario would be to have commercial office speech privacy masking systems & white noise generator speakers outside the room to protect the conversation. While it sounds like a lot of equipment, the installation can be minimal, blending into the background.
Here are the benefits of incorporating sound masking equipment in your small business.
Sensitive client details are protected
In most industries, client details are protected by law. Staff are given stringent guidelines when working with files, with paperwork lying on the desk, data showing on the computer screen, and when having phone conversations relaying discreet information.
The problem is many small departments in a company are open-air with cubicles, disallowing a great deal of genuine privacy. Staff can unintentionally hear conversations around them from one workstation to the next.
In certain industries, particularly the legal and healthcare fields, discretion is demanded more. Privacy masking systems would allow a degree of confidentiality for these professionals, whether working in an open reception area or a cubicle space shared with other staff members.
Employee conversations are personal
When staff engage in personal conversations, customers often hear the contents of the discussions. That is particularly true with a small business where everything is central to the waiting area.
If gossip is happening about another staff member, a customer could hear something disturbing concerning the person they are about to see, whether true or not, creating a stressful or awkward appointment.
Also, the clients can hear phone conversations and interactions with other clients regardless of whether the doors are closed or glass windows separate them. In a healthcare setting, this violates the HIPPA guidelines, a strict privacy regulation.
In this situation, there’s a dire need to mask the sound in the waiting area so those waiting are not inundated with personal staff interactions. Privacy speakers should also be placed outside the client/patient suites and the reception space to prevent overhearing sensitive details with phone calls or someone else’s visit.
Business meetings mean bouncing new ideas
In corporate business meetings, the idea is to bounce ideas around the room. Someone might have a concept for a new product or service. The business leader could want to discuss the launch of goods that have been in production for some time.
The company may be going to merge or is being acquired, and staff are unaware of this fact at this early stage. Most meetings involve the managers navigating through the challenges to develop solutions.
Because the details are not concrete, they cannot share with staff and want to avoid the competition finding out ahead of time. Speech privacy keeps private meetings discreet. Most corporate staff members report that the lack of speech privacy is a concern in the workplace.
A competing business associate may be waiting to have a one-on-one meeting with you following your meeting but overhears the contents of the conference on the potential new product.
It could devastate your company if the competitor returned the idea to their staff and moved forward with creating that product but did so better than your original idea. Privacy masking is crucial in every industry.
Keep the workplace moving
When the workplace is awkwardly silent, employees can be distracted when sudden noise distracts their focus. When staff are interrupted, it can take roughly 20 minutes to find their way back to the same focus.
Research indicates that employees can waste as much as “22 minutes of the work day from surrounding staff conversations.” When fewer distractions exist, greater engagement and higher productivity lead to more profitability for the business.
Sound masking offers a soothing sound to the work atmosphere, allowing comfort throughout the work day, less stress, fewer distractions, and increased productivity. Check the dos and don’ts of sound masking.
Final Thought
Sound masking is integral to supporting company-wide speech privacy in any industry, which many staff and leaders find missing in the business landscape.
Maintaining discretion with sensitive details is mandatory in the healthcare and legal fields, but is that always the case or possible?
When you have the equipment readily available to make privacy possible for your staff and clients or guests entering your business, taking advantage of those tools is vital.
As you have seen here, sound masking has a wealth of benefits. It can be installed with minimal obtrusion and offers a pleasant atmosphere for those exposed to the noise.
