{"id":601982,"date":"2023-07-18T05:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=601982"},"modified":"2024-05-15T10:36:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T17:36:13","slug":"impacts-of-traffic-noise","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/impacts-of-traffic-noise","title":{"rendered":"Working through the Noise\u2014At a Cost to Productivity"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[571,276882,419072,485962,238001],"department":[488812,488822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-601982","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri-insider","tag-analytics","tag-location-analysis","tag-productivity","tag-return-to-office","tag-site-selection","department-emerging-technologies","department-sustainability-risk"],"acf":{"short_description":"A new finding on the link between noise levels and employee productivity adds data to executive decisions about location.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"As business executives and HR planners grapple with new vagaries\u2014employees reluctant to commute to the office, AI\u2019s potential<\/a> to replace human work\u2014they can add another to the list: traffic noise is hampering productivity."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Article snapshot:<\/strong> New research on traffic noise shows that even low levels hamper business productivity. It\u2019s another data point executives might consider when analyzing the best places to do business.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"A study<\/a> out of Sweden\u2019s Chalmers University of Technology showed that even a modest level of traffic noise\u2014softer than the hum of most household refrigerators\u2014can distract employees from their work.\r\n\r\nThis may strike some executives as a difficult datapoint to weave into location decisions. Yet modern location technology\u2014already used by many leading companies<\/a>\u2014has for years helped planners make sense of the noise.\r\n

Sounding Out the Cost of Traffic Noise <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Chalmers researchers asked study participants to perform concentration tests, traffic noise of only 40 decibels led to poorer results. That\u2019s similar to the noise level of a library<\/a>. Moreover, subjects didn\u2019t just perform worse; they were also more likely to report feeling overwhelmed.\r\n\r\nThe findings come as Fortune 500 businesses and big cities are, as the saying goes, working on their relationship. The pandemic drove some professionals to smaller cities and others to swear off commuting altogether. In many cases that has left executives with excess workspace and thorny questions about their future in big cities.\r\n\r\nSome landlords see an opportunity in the breach. Vornado Realty Trust, a prominent national property owner, is investing $1.2 billion<\/a> to overhaul two office buildings next to Penn Station, a major New York City transit hub. Companies with space in the towers hope that the central location will win over reluctant commuters.\r\n\r\nChalmers researchers might ask: But what about the noise?\r\n

Taming a Menu of Data When Considering Locations <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nNo single factor determines where a business establishes its operations\u2014whether that\u2019s an office, warehouse, retail store, or research facility. In fact, the factors that planners consider have ballooned in the digital age, as IoT sensors deliver voluminous data on local conditions and AI models predict where success is likely<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAs the data expands, the tools to make sense of it have, too. Geographic information system (GIS)<\/a> technology\u2014the engine of location analysis\u2014now uses cloud processing and data science<\/a> to convert troves of information into insight.\r\n\r\nEmpowered by those capabilities, location analysts<\/a> across the business world routinely crunch massive, diverse datasets into insight that guides multimillion-dollar decisions<\/a>. A site analysis might include stats on the local labor pool; the proximity of crime or weather hazards; the ease of access for employees; and amenities such as EV charging stations, teambuilding venues<\/a>, and airport access.\r\n\r\nSome executives might be surprised to learn that GIS software provides access to millions of these data points\u2014traffic noise included.\r\n

A New Data Point, and Surely Not the Last <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nFor years, location technology has helped decision-makers understand noise and its impacts. Airport planners have used GIS to map the intensity of takeoffs and landings and adjust flights to comply with noise ordinances. Highway planners routinely analyze noise studies.\r\n\r\nExecutives intent on creating productive workspaces in a new office or lab facility might analyze the US Department of Transportation\u2019s data on noise levels<\/a>. The resultant analysis might reveal a key difference between two otherwise similar locations, or underscore the need for sound dampening technology and creative interior design<\/a>.\r\n\r\nFor executives planning their next business location, traffic noise might not be the first item to consider. But its link to productivity\u2014and thus profitability\u2014makes it worth examination, and location analysis makes that examination possible."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nTraffic Noise Harms Employee Productivity, New Study Shows<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new study shows that traffic noise can compromise employee productivity. 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