Noisy offices could cost employers over £40bn a year, analysis finds

Oscar Acoustics published new data showing UK businesses could be losing over £40bn a year due to poor office acoustics. 

The research found workers lose 26 minutes of productive time each day because of noise, equal to more than three working weeks a year. 

Three in five (61%) work from home to escape office noise, and nearly half (45%) would consider leaving their job because of it.

The data showed a generational divide, with two-thirds (67%) of 18 to 24-year-olds describing their workplace as noisy, compared to almost half (47%) of over-55s. 

Additionally, analysis estimated that around 400,000 graduates are set to enter the British workforce this summer, and two-thirds (66%) of job seekers now consider acoustic comfort important when looking at new roles.

For a 100-person business, the research found investing in better acoustics could save between £21,000 and £34,650 a year in retention costs. 

Despite this, only 8% of companies have installed acoustic treatment in the last two years, and almost a quarter (23%) of offices have no private or quiet spaces.

Ben Hancock, managing director at Oscar Acoustics, said: “The data shows a clear generational shift. Younger workers are walking into offices that weren’t built for focused work, and they’re not prepared to put up with it.