Preprint
Irrelevant speech effect in open plan offices: A laboratory study
Krist Kostallari et al., arXiv (eess.AS), preprint, 2019
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A laboratory study of 55 people doing a memory task while hearing speech at different levels of intelligibility, the measure used for open-plan office design. It tests how speech noise changes performance, mental load and discomfort.
- How much weight it carries
- Open-access preprint from French occupational safety and acoustics laboratories. It has not been checked here against the journal version, and the sample was people doing a lab task, not real office work.
Facts taken from this source
- In a 2019 laboratory study of 55 people, the speech transmission index, which measures how intelligible background speech is, had a significant effect on performance decrement, mental load and discomfort.
“Results show a significant effect of the STI on the DP, the mental load and the discomfort.” (Abstract (Results))
- The authors write that it seems accepted that speech noise in open-plan offices is the main source of discomfort for employees.
“It seems now accepted that speech noise in open plan offices is the main source of discomfort for employees.” (Introduction)