Deafening Silence

A recent study says pin-drop silence in office affects performance. It should buzz with voice and activity

EVER WONDERED, that your workplace ambience, can con-tribute to your performance and stress levels? According to a study, acoustic conditions profoundly im-pact human performance in every work environment. Pin-drop silence at office is causing mental disturbance and affecting performance in corpo-rate culture, affecting the 8220;productiv-ity8221; of the workforce.

It is a fact that extreme quietness in an office can lead to stress because the significance of even the smallest noise is magnified. According to the experts, too-quiet offices are a growing prob-lem. Double-glazing, efficient air con-ditioning and computers that run without internal fans mean that the level of noise is lower than ever before. Nevertheless, the worker8217;s productiv-ity and its link to acoustic conditions remains little known among the plan-ners, architects and design profession-als in India. 8220;We in India design offices according to the requirements of the profession, and terms of the com-pany8221; says Dheeraj Sinha, a space de-signer. 8220;Acoustic conditions do matter, but the syndrome is not known as such8221; adds Dheeraj who has designed high-end offices for multinationals in Delhi and Gurgaon.

Talking to some IT professionals from topnotch companies in Delhi and Banglore, one can easily conclude that the syndrome is fast gripping the Indians too. And they are reacting to the stealthy opponent, the sound of si-lence. The IT professionals found the almost complete silence in their cubi-cles unhealthily stressful. Some said it made them feel lonely. On the rare oc- casions when the silence was shat-tered by a telephone ring, some work-ers put down their pens to eavesdrop on the conversation. The study also states that workers, working in this low-level noise environment, experi-enced significantly higher levels of stress, made fewer attempts to solve difficult problems and were low on productivity too. Hermetically sealed buildings, soundless technology and aggressively boring workloads are ac-tually adding to the high stress level of workers.

8220;There are times when I get mad sitting alone with my laptop, with no one to talk to. The silence at times is deafening,8221; says Rohit Kapardia, an IT professional in Delhi. Ironically, it is often assumed by planners, architects and designers that reducing 8220;conver-sational distractions8221; requires devel-oping and specifying 8220;quiet8221; work-places. As a result, most offices today have been designed to be absolutely quiet.

8220;I spend more than 18 hours in my cubicle with just my PC, in total si-lence8221; says Ashish Chawla, a financial analyst with a high-end Multinational in Delhi. 8220;Utter silence can be a torture as it affects, productivity and an ele-ment of monotony creeps in,8221; adds Ashish. 8220;No one in my office likes our high walled cubicles. Instead we would love to work in team spaces shared by several people8221; says Varuna Shanker, strategy planner in a MNC in Delhi. 8220; Informal chat and gossip ses-sions and more mobility at workplace reduces stress as it gives you a break,8221; adds Varuna.

The doctors also agree. 8220;The ambience is definitely important as work places that offer more mobility and are more accommodating in terms of acoustic conditions, are bound to do better in terms of productivity,8221; says Dr. Samir Parikh, psychiatrist, Chief of Department of Mental Health 038; Be-havioral Sciences, Max HealthCare. It8217;s often stated that 8220;silence is golden8221; but the rule definitely, does not apply to workplaces that demand long hours and monotonous shifts.