If you’re used to working in a noisy, open-plan office then working from home can sometimes seem too quiet. But before you turn up your music and turn on the washing machine for some background noise, why not try and enjoy working in silence?

Your workload will thank you for it.
Studies have shown that people who work remotely are generally more productive. It’s thought that although they take longer breaks, remote employees work on average 1.4 more days per month than their office-based counterparts. So the fact that many of the world’s population have been forced to work from home for the foreseeable future, could actually be beneficial when it comes to productivity. And this is great news – especially as it is uncertain when we will be allowed to return to an office-based environment.

The sound of silence
Although many of us (with the exception of those with children) have a quiet space to work from – whether that be a designated office, a desk in the spare room or a set-up on the kitchen table, a lot of people find working in silence unbearable. This is where the luxury of having the TV on in the background or the ability to turn your music up as loud as you want can become dangerous. For example, how many of you reading this can honestly say you’re sitting in silence? Probably nobody. This is because our homes are never silent. The whir of the kettle, the sound of the neighbour’s dog barking or children screaming as they play in the garden; we can always hear something. This is in addition to the constant buzz of the fridge or the extractor fan in the bathroom. What we’re trying to say is – a combination of these sounds mean that our ears aren’t getting as much of a rest while working from home as we might think. So when you add loud music or the background noise of the TV to the mix – we lose that all important peace and quiet.

Concentration and productivity
Offices – particularly large, open-plan ones – can be loud environments. So not having the constant sound of people on the phone, coworkers having meetings across the desk and the kettle boiling every 10 minutes can take a bit of getting used to. But it could be great for productivity. A design agency in America put the theory that you are more productive in a quiet environment to the test by introducing ‘quiet time’ before lunch and encouraging employees to work from home regularly. The result? After doing it for four years, the team is now 23% more productive. Not only this, they are also less stressed and many now only work 4 and a half days a week because all their work is completed within a shorter timeframe. This is just one example. Many studies have proven that working in a quiet environment can help your concentration and allow you to get more done in a day.

Make the most of it
As many people are currently working from home due to the recent coronavirus outbreak, it’s the perfect time to trial this idea and see if you can tick more off your to-do-list by turning the music down. Even if you have children in the house and struggle to find a quiet place to work, introducing ‘quiet time’ each day can help you to get more tasks done and feel better about your workload.
And if the construction workers are still making noise outside your house or someone has decided to start a demolition product down the road, tell them about our acoustic barriers. They are quick and easy to set up and they can reduce noise pollution by up to 99% - meaning that you and your neighbours can get on with your work in peace.