Women More Likely To Work From Home To Escape Office Noise

Image credits to Andrew Smith at SG Photography Project

• National study reveals women are suffering in silence instead of reporting disruptive colleagues
• Comes as London-based firms struggle to lure workers back to the office in wake of pandemic
• Female office workers are more likely than men to work from home to escape noisy workplaces

Women working in noisy and distracting offices are more likely than male colleagues to resort to home working instead of reporting disruptive behaviour to bosses, a study has revealed.

The study by Oscar Acoustics found that nearly a quarter (24%) of female office workers across the UK have chosen to work from home to escape excessive workplace noise, compared to just over a fifth (21%) of men.

The poll found that women were far more likely to have difficulty concentrating in high-volume workplaces, with some 43% admitting they have previously struggled to focus compared to just 32% of men.

Female office workers were also found to be far less likely to make a formal complaint about a noisy colleague, with just 11% confirming they had done so previously compared to nearly a fifth (19%) of men.

Instead, nearly a quarter (23%) of women said they have previously felt compelled to either begin work late or come in early to catch up on work due to being distracted by workplace noise. By comparison, less than a fifth of men (19%) had done the same.

The report forms part of a whitepaper published by Oscar Acoustics which aims to drive awareness about the benefits of ensuring workplaces are designed with acoustics in mind.

The research also found that women were generally more prone to suffering negative side effects of workplace noise pollution, interruptions by colleagues and distracting co-workers. Some 29% of female office workers said excessive noise in the workplace had caused them stress, while less than a quarter (24%) of men said the same.

Both men and women cited ‘colleagues talking to each other’, ‘colleagues talking on the phone or video calls’ and ‘eating noises’ as among their top audible annoyances.

The study comes as London businesses struggle to encourage staff back into the office, with occupancy rates in the capital having plateaued in recent months. According to King’s College London, three-quarters of Londoners worked from home at least once a week in spring 2022.^[1]

Ben Hancock, Managing Director at Oscar Acoustics, said: “The issue of noise in our offices and places of work has been ignored for far too long. With the take up of hybrid working, we’re seeing the impact it can have on staff and productivity, creating unwanted distractions that reduce the quality of work. “It’s a sorry state of affairs to find that women struggle with unchecked noise levels more than men, yet are less likely to raise their concerns. We need to take a long hard look at the suitability of our offices and understand that excessive noise is one of the main reasons why people aren’t returning to offices. Without better acoustic management, this reluctance will continue, having an affect on company bottoms lines and staff morale.”