Noise is the number one employee complaint across office spaces, ahead of lighting, temperature or even desk comfort. The discomfort usually comes from unpredictability and lack of control rather than sheer volume. A colleague’s phone call, a sudden laugh, the hum of HVAC equipment, none of these register as dangerously loud, but they interrupt concentration constantly, and interruptions are expensive. Every time focus breaks, it takes real time to rebuild it.
How Can We Fix It?
Haworth’s research distills this into four practical principles, known as the ABCD of acoustic design: Absorb, Block, Contain and Displace. Used together, rather than as alternatives to pick between, they form a layered strategy that lets people connect freely in some parts of the office while still finding real quiet in others.
Absorb
Add acoustic ceilings, upholstered wall panels and soft furnishings to shorten reverberation time. This is usually the fastest and cheapest fix, and it can be added to an existing space without construction.
Block
Use partitions and enclosed acoustic pods where real privacy is needed. Class A pods deliver more than 30 dB of speech reduction for confidential conversations, while Class B pods offer above 25 dB, a sensible minimum for everyday calls.
Contain
Keep loud, energetic activities inside the settings built for them, whether that’s a team stand-up area or a bank of phone booths, instead of letting the noise spread into quieter parts of the floor.
Displace
Solve the problem at the planning stage by positioning focus rooms, collaboration hubs and social areas so they don’t naturally conflict, rather than patching a clash after the furniture is already in place.
