Introduction to Sound Masking

Is your workplace filled with distractions, making it hard to focus on your work? Do you notice awkward quietness as if people can hear everything you’re saying in conversation? Chances are you’re not alone since this is a common scenario in many workplaces. 

With more work spaces opting for open floor plans and exposed ceiling designs, speech privacy is now the leading driver of employee dissatisfaction. Workplace studies suggest that productivity drops by 66% due to the lack of speech privacy in these open spaces, meaning that less work is getting done and employees aren’t happy in their workplace. 

Productivity and employee satisfaction aren’t the only things to be concerned about. You wouldn’t want sensitive information to be overheard by others. Whether you work in a place where you need to have private conversations with a client to discuss financial information or a medical office where sensitive information is shared, you need speech privacy. 

So how do you improve speech privacy and reduce workplace distractions? Simple – it’s called sound masking.

What is sound masking?

Not to be confused with “sound cancellation,” sound masking makes other people’s conversations inaudible. Sound masking works on the principle that when white noise is added to an environment, speech becomes unintelligible – meaning that you can’t make out what someone is saying from a distance.

When you can’t make out distracting noises and conversations around you, they’re easier to tune out. These systems add a low level, humble background sound which counterbalances these noises, giving employees a more peaceful workplace and protects speech privacy.

Sound masking is especially useful for hospitals, open offices, private offices, banks, waiting rooms, reception areas, public hallways, and hotels.

Paging and sound masking systems

Sound masking systems consist of loudspeakers that are integrated into your converged network and can also be used to quickly notify employees of daily workplace occurrences or alert employees on a corporate campus in emergency situations.

The importance of both systems is crucial to a company, in order to notify employees of important messages as well as providing a comfortable working environment that is conducive to productivity.

Learn more about paging system options here.

We can help

Premiere Communications & Consulting designs, builds, and maintains powerful IT solutions. We are pleased to offer customized design and installation of loudspeaker paging and sound masking systems.

Get in touch to see how we can help with installing a new paging and sound masking system in your workplace.