Worksheet · Workplace
Overheard speech is the leading source of office dissatisfaction
The acoustic complaints in your survey trace to intelligible speech at nearby desks, and the evidence base is strong enough to defend a fit-out line before the CFO.
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The evidence behind this sheet
19 factorsheets carry the studies for and against, each with how firm that evidence is.
- Speech distraction lowers satisfaction in open-plan offices.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) lowers sleep quality in intensive care units.
- Speech distraction probably lowers productivity.
- Speech distraction probably lowers comfort.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) probably lowers satisfaction.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) probably raises stress.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) has a non-linear effect on sustained attention.
- Speech intelligibility probably raises learning outcomes.
- Speech distraction lowers working memory.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) probably lowers comfort.
- Speech intelligibility probably lowers sustained attention.
- Speech distraction probably raises stress.
- Speech intelligibility probably lowers satisfaction.
- Speech distraction lowers memory recall.
- Speech distraction raises error rate.
- LAeq (A-weighted Sound Level) probably lowers working memory.
- Speech distraction probably lowers perceived privacy.
- Speech distraction probably lowers sustained attention.
- Speech intelligibility lowers perceived privacy.