‘Women more likely to work from home due to noisy workplaces’ – © iStock
Women working in noisy and distracting offices are more likely than male colleagues to resort to homeworking instead of reporting disruptive behaviour to bosses, a study reveals.
Research by Oscar Acoustics found that nearly a quarter (24%) of female office workers across the UK have chosen to work from home to escape excessive workplace noise, compared with just over a fifth (21%) of men.
The poll found that women were far more likely to have difficulty concentrating in high-volume workplaces, with some 43% admitting they have previously struggled to focus compared with 32% of men.
Female office workers were also found to be far less likely to make a formal complaint about a noisy colleague, with just 11% confirming they had done so previously compared with almost a fifth (19%) of men.
Instead, nearly a quarter (23%) of women said they have previously felt compelled to either begin work late or come in early to catch up on work because of distractions from workplace noise. By comparison, less than a fifth of men (19%) had done the same.
Workplace noise pollution
The report forms part of a white paper published by Oscar Acoustics that aims to drive awareness about the benefits of ensuring that workplaces are designed with acoustics in mind.
The research also found that women were generally more prone to suffering negative side effects of workplace noise pollution, interruptions by colleagues and distracting co-workers. Some 29% of female office workers said excessive noise in the workplace had caused them stress, while less than a quarter (24%) of men said the same.
