A recent study from researchers at Concordia University has unveiled how office design significantly influences employee speech levels. Published in the journal Science and Technology for the Built Environment on November 5, 2025, the research indicates that factors such as workspace layout and the type of communication can considerably affect how loudly employees speak.
In an effort to gather real-world data, the researchers analyzed speech levels in two active offices—one located in Montreal and the other in Quebec City. The study involved more than 70 employees who communicated in either English or French. Using high-precision sound meters, the team captured sound levels across various office setups, including open-plan offices, private offices, and different meeting room sizes. The study also examined casual conversations and online meetings, whether participants were using headsets or not.
Key Findings on Speech Levels and Office Design
The findings revealed that employees tend to speak significantly louder in open-plan offices, particularly when desk partitions are present. According to Joonhee Lee, an associate professor in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering and the study’s corresponding author, “When the participants sat at a desk with partitions, they naturally increased their speech level.” The study concluded that while partitions may reduce sound transmission, they may inadvertently encourage workers to speak louder than they would in spaces without such barriers.
Conversely, the research indicated that speech levels remained consistent across meeting rooms, regardless of their size. Notably, teleconferences prompted slightly higher speaking volumes compared to in-person discussions, although the language spoken did not significantly impact the overall speech levels observed.
Implications for Office Design Standards
One of the study’s most striking revelations is that actual speech levels in office settings are lower than those outlined in existing industry standards. Current standards, which are often based on laboratory tests conducted in anechoic chambers—where sounds do not reflect—may not accurately represent real-world conditions. This discrepancy suggests that guidelines for speech privacy and noise control in office design may require reevaluation to better reflect how employees communicate in everyday environments.
Lee emphasized that optimal office environments include a degree of background noise. He noted that “a decrease in background noise only amplifies the perception of other kinds of noise.” This finding indicates that a completely silent workspace could be just as distracting as an excessively noisy one. In fact, an appropriate level of background noise may enhance employee performance.
The research provides valuable insights into the relationship between office design and communication dynamics. As workplaces evolve and embrace open concepts, understanding how these factors influence speech levels can guide better design choices that foster productivity while minimizing distractions.
More information about the study can be found in the article by Rewan Toubar et al, titled “Speech level variation by office environment and communication type,” in Science and Technology for the Built Environment (2025). The DOI for this publication is 10.1080/23744731.2025.2551480.
