Why Acoustics Play a Key Role in the Great Return to the Office

Many industries are calling for employees to return to the office full-time. Yet, a critical design element remains absent from most workplace conversations; appropriate acoustics. Consequently, we’re ignoring a fundamental issue; poor sound management is actively driving away talent from the office.

In fact, recent findings from our Shaping Future-Ready Work Spaces for The Great Return to the Office whitepaper found nearly three in four employees feel their office neither supports their return to work, nor enhances productivity. Additionally, 71% report their office is too noisy, with many workers resorting to wearing headphones just to cope with office noise.

The result of poor acoustics

While these figures represent significant workplace dissatisfaction, they also highlight that many businesses are creating environments which don’t fulfil their intended purpose, and noise contributes hugely to this.

Excessive noise impairs concentration, causes irritation, and creates stress. But even more concerning is that organisations are losing talent. Eight in 10 employers have lost staff due to return-to-work mandates, with poor acoustic environments often the decisive factor.

This challenge becomes even more critical when we consider that over 15% of the UK population is neurodiverse; with many experiencing heightened sensitivity to environmental factors. Seven in ten individuals with dyspraxia report their office is noisy, highlighting how poor acoustic design excludes significant portions of the workforce.

Changing the approach to acoustics

Rather than treating sound management as an afterthought, acoustics must become a core design element from project inception, alongside lighting and ventilation.

Effective acoustic strategy follows three key principles, as outlined in PAS 6463, Design for the Mind: Neurodiversity and the Built Environment. These are the three ‘Cs’; Control, Clarity and Calm. Employees need control over their acoustic environment, clarity in their navigation and communication, and calm zones for focused work. 

The most successful approaches to the three ‘Cs’ include acoustic zoning. Just as we zone-off spaces for different lighting impacts, effective sound management requires varied acoustic environments within the same workspace. Collaboration areas will have contrasting acoustic properties from concentration zones, while social spaces require different acoustic profiles.

Modern acoustic solutions, including advanced spray applications, offer unprecedented flexibility in creating these varied environments. These systems can absorb sound energy whilst maintaining aesthetic integrity, allowing for seamless integration of acoustic performance with design vision.

Return on investment

Acoustic design isn’t an additional cost, it’s an investment in human capital that yields tangible returns. Poor acoustic environments create ongoing recruitment challenges, increase staff turnover, and reduce productivity.

The growing demand for WELL and BREEAM-certified buildings reflects this shift in thinking. Clients increasingly understand that premium acoustic design attracts and retains talent – it’s more than just a compliance requirement.

Effective design strategies

Several practical approaches can transform acoustic outcomes:

Integrate early: Acoustic considerations must inform initial space planning, instead of retrofit solutions. Every new-build, upgrade or retrofit presents an opportunity to embed superior acoustic performance from the ground up.

Design for diversity: Create varied acoustic environments that serve different working styles and neurodiverse needs. This means planning spaces for both collaboration and concentration, with clear acoustic boundaries.

Specify strategically: Modern acoustic solutions offer superior performance without compromising aesthetics. Specify materials and systems that deliver measurable acoustic improvements whilst supporting overall design intent.

Educate clients: Help clients understand the long-term value of acoustic investment. Present acoustic design as fundamental infrastructure, comparable to electrical or mechanical systems.

Creating destination workspaces

The great return to office won’t succeed through mandates alone; it requires spaces that genuinely support human productivity and wellbeing.

Every new project presents an opportunity to demonstrate how thoughtful acoustic design creates environments where people choose to come and do their best work. In a competitive talent market, those organisations that understand this principle will build the workspaces that define the future of work.

To download the whitepaper, click here