Sound
masking has never been more important in the office. The post-pandemic return
to work will create inconsistent ambient background sound because of the "new
normal" of staggered scheduling and a widely adopted
in-office/work-from-
Overview
Sound masking has never been more important in the office.
Office workers over the past two years have nicely adapted to (maybe even created a comfortable nest) in their home-office where they can effectively work without the distractions and privacy concerns of their office. As these workers continue to be brought back into the office, employers need to be mindful of this new level of expected privacy and freedom from distractions that has been established. If they don't address these employee concerns, some workers will resist coming back to the office…or maybe even leave for another company who understands this.
In this webcast we will discuss the ABC's of architectural acoustics and identify how these acoustic principals affect speech privacy, noise distractions and workplace comfort. We will define the term "speech privacy" and focus on the impacts employees and employers experience. This webcast explores the impacts common construction techniques, interior furnishings, and COVID-19-related changes pose on the levels of speech privacy one can obtain, keeping in mind modern interior design may conflict with client's speech privacy goals.
You'll learn how sound masking contributes to increased speech privacy levels as well as the different general approaches sound masking systems use in terms of deployment, performance tradeoffs, and design parameters.
Employers need to understand how sound masking can mitigate the staff comfort issues that are likely to arise in our "new normal" office acoustics. And acoustical consultants need to understand how to effectively communicate to contractors and facility managers the reasons for installing sound masking in today's
Key Takeaways
- Better understand the need for speech privacy in modern commercial spaces in our post-COVID-19 "new normal."
- Identify the ABC's of architectural acoustics and their impact on speech privacy, noise distractions and office comfort.
- Understand three unique approaches to sound masking systems and the impact architecture has on the proper choice.
Speaker
Nathan Van Ness is responsible for Biamp's building infrastructure portfolio, which includes sound masking and voice communications solutions. He has more than 20 years' experience as a high-tech marketer. Van Ness is based in Portland, Oregon.