OFFICE NOISE, SATISFACTION, AND PERFORMANCE

A field study assessed disturbance by office noise in relation to environmental satisfaction, job satisfaction, and job performance ratings among 2,391 employees at 58 sites before and/or after office renovation. In all, 54% said they were bothered often by noise, especially by people talking and telephones ringing. Disturbance by noise correlated with dissatisfaction with the environment and job but not with self- or supervisor-rated performance. Quasi-experimental analysis of groups reporting increased, decreased, or unchanged disturbance by noise revealed a drop in satisfaction concurrent with increasing noise. Disturbance by office noise may reflect a variety of environmental and job characteristics and may have a role in job satisfaction through both environmental satisfaction and job characteristics. Implications are discussed.