Britain’s noisy offices are making workers sick – and employers are doing little about it
Office noise is driving a workplace health crisis, with stress, sickness and absenteeism rising and employer action falling short
Britain’s offices are fuelling a growing workplace health problem. New research from Oscar Acoustics, reveals that noise is causing stress, illness and lost productivity across the workforce.
The survey, which polled 2,000 UK office workers, found that nearly a quarter (24%) have taken time off due to noise-related stress, highlighting the real-world impact of poor workplace environments.
Ben Hancock, Managing Director at Oscar Acoustics, said: “The return-to-office debate keeps missing the point. Attendance gets all the attention, but the real question is whether offices are worth returning to. Our research shows more than a third of office employees have taken sick leave because of noise-related stress. Meanwhile, 62% are changing their working hours simply to avoid the noisiest periods of the day. These are more than minor frustrations. They’re a workplace health issue, and the built environment has a direct role in fixing them.
“Acoustic design does more than create a quieter workspace. It protects mental wellbeing, improves concentration and makes spaces more inclusive for everyone, including the 60% of UK adults who are noise-sensitive, among them neurodivergent employees and those with hearing or visual challenges.
“The commercial case is equally compelling. Poor acoustic design is estimated to cost UK businesses over £40 billion a year. When clients start seeing that number, acoustic specification stops being a value-engineering casualty.
“Yet too many projects still treat acoustics as an afterthought. Acoustic performance should sit alongside fire safety checks, built in at design stage and not added on once people are already at their desks. That’s where contractors and specifiers can make the difference.
“Developed by Sownd Affects and independently validated by the University of Southampton, Sownd Certification provides the world’s first framework for verifying that a space with proven acoustic performance is audio-inclusive and genuinely works for the people who use it. It also gives project teams the evidence to begin conversations with clients earlier, before the decisions that are hardest to undo have already been made.
“Today’s offices are open-plan, busy and full of distractions. Get the acoustics right and people notice: less stress, sharper focus, a real reason to come in. The solutions exist. The case is clear. The debate shouldn’t be about getting people back into the office. It should be about creating workplaces people actually want to return to.”
Lara Milward, Neuroleadership Coach, adds: “We’re more distracted than ever; Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, emails, texts. There’s so much competing for our attention. At the same time, we’re dealing with a workforce that’s already stressed, overstimulated and easily frustrated.
“Long-term stress, as we know, reduces cognitive capacity. That’s why it’s fascinating to explore how acoustic design can make a meaningful difference to well-being and productivity.”
Recognising this, new approaches are emerging to help employers better measure and improve acoustic performance in buildings. Sownd Certification, developed by Sownd Affects in partnership with Oscar Acoustics, is an independent accreditation that recognises buildings with proven acoustic performance as audio-inclusive. The certification is the world’s first to provide an evidence-based framework evaluating how spaces perform acoustically in the real world and prioritising end-user comfort and audio-design.
For more information about the research findings, click here.
