Fact · Dictation for work and study
99percent of employees surveyed
In Banbury and Berry's 2005 field study, 99 percent of the employees surveyed said their concentration was impaired by components of office noise, especially ringing phones and background conversation.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Out of the sample, 99% reported that their concentration was impaired by various components of office noise, especially telephones left ringing at vacant desks and people talking in the background.”
Office noise and employee concentration: identifying causes of disruption and potential improvements, Simon P. Banbury and Dylan C. Berry, Ergonomics, 2005, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1080/00140130412331311390)- What it measures
- The field study covered 88 employees at two sites and asked them to rate how various office sounds distracted them.
- What it does not show
- Self-reported distraction in 2005 offices, not a measured drop in output. It does not separate the effect of a colleague's voice from other office sounds.