Quiet phone calls at the office? Here are your options

The open-plan office as a sensory paradise

Or, more accurately: sensory hell. An open-plan office refers to an open space where a large group of colleagues works. It creates flexible workstations, boosts communication within a team, and can be incredibly inspiring. Yet not everyone experiences it that way. In fact, 90% of Dutch company doctors say employees name the open-plan office as one of the causes of sick leave (De Monitor). Employees suffer from noise (93%), lose their concentration (94%), and get distracted by colleagues walking past.

There have been calls to introduce a minimum number of quiet workspaces per employee, but nothing has come of it so far. As an employer, however, you can take matters into your own hands and organise a quiet spot — in the form of an acoustic phone booth, soundproof phone cell or a separated workspace, for example.

Why do we talk so loudly anyway?

Why do two colleagues murmuring barely bother you, while a phone call or meeting is so distracting? There are two reasons.

● When you're on a mobile call, you hear yourself less well, so you start talking louder
● You automatically adjust your voice volume to the sound around you — this is called the Lombard effect
● In a noisy environment, you don't just talk louder, but also higher-pitched and with longer vowel sounds

So it's only logical that phone calls at the office are a source of distraction.

Phone calls at the office, hassle-free

In this hybrid era, phone calls at the office are unavoidable. If your employees aren't on the phone with someone, they're in an online meeting with clients or colleagues. That doesn't have to distract the rest of the team. With a solution that's just as flexible as your open-plan office, you can create a quiet spot without any renovation. So what are the options?

With an enclosed phone booth, you choose the highest level of acoustic comfort. The caller isn't distracted by others, and the rest of the office isn't bothered by loud call noise. A handy solution for privacy-sensitive conversations or long meetings.

The Mute Design Space M is a flexible phone booth that's set up in no time. Want to rearrange your space anyway? Thanks to a built-in wheel system, you can move this booth just as easily. You can also make this acoustic phone booth as comfortable as you like — add a wireless charger, USB port or monitor arm, for example.

Not fully enclosed, but still a bit more privacy? This open phone booth from BuzziBooth provides calm without losing the open feel of your office. With a standing desk or standard desk, it's not just a phone booth, but also a great workspace for moments when extra concentration is welcome.

With a semi-open phone booth like this one, you choose a temporary workspace for short phone calls or online meetings. This booth dampens sound and also has a handy work surface where employees can work standing up — directly encouraging them to alternate between sitting and standing work.

No room for a large acoustic phone booth at the office, but still want more calm around the place? With a wall-mounted phonebooth, you get at least as much sound absorption as with a semi-open booth. A simple solution that's handy for short phone calls. The acoustically dampening fabric can be matched to any interior — or even your corporate identity.