Effect of trading-off office background and intermittent noise levels on performance, annoyance, distraction, and stress

Abstract

In open-plan offices, work performance is affected by the acoustic environment, which includes steady-state broadband noise and intermittent, occupancy-generated noise. High levels of broadband noise (e.g., HVAC noise) can mask intermittent sounds to reduce distraction, but risk causing fatigue and other noise-related symptoms that may be detrimental to performance. In this study, the impact of the acoustic environment on work performance was investigated by adjusting the relative levels of both broadband and intermittent noise. Participants were exposed to four different acoustic environments, either starting with high background noise and low intermittent levels or vice versa. While in each background condition, the subjects performed four cognitive tasks that evaluated memory, attention, reasoning, and planning skills, respectively. Heart rate variability and electrodermal activity (EDA) were measured to gauge arousal (stress levels) in each environment. After each exposure, participants were asked to rate annoyance, distraction, fatigue, and stress, among other subjective attributes. The EDA and ratings of distraction significantly increased as the intermittent noise levels increased, while noise annoyance ratings were consistent across each background condition. Additionally, performance on the cognitive tasks was impacted by the order in which the participants experienced the acoustic environments.