As the buzz returns to offices, efforts are underway to make sure noise doesn’t interfere with productivity.

Firms are calling staff back to the office with ever increasing frequency. It seems to be working, as JLL’s global research shows more of us are in the office more often, at least three days per week for 79% of office workers, up from 55% in 2022.

Yet against this increasingly buzzing backdrop, noise levels could be stopping companies from seeing the productivity boost they’re hoping for.

“Health and wellbeing have the biggest impact on an individual’s cognitive ability,” says Emma Hendry, People Experience Managing Director for JLL Consulting. “The physical, digital and built environment factors must combine to offer the best possible experience, or you’ll see productivity decline.”

JLL’s latest global survey ‘Is hybrid really working?’ found 58% of employees still consider their home environment superior for focused work, while 45% believe it better supports their overall productivity. More than a quarter cited office noise and inability to focus as a reason to work from home.

The increase in shared spaces could be adding to the hubbub. Many employers have already adapted workplaces to create more social and collaboration space, while 69% have moved to a mix of assigned and shared desks.

“Workers are now more demanding of the levels of comfort they expect from the office,” says Flore Pradere, Head of Research for JLL Work Dynamics, “and while collaboration is key, we cannot neglect the fact that people still spend over half their time on individual work.”

Keen to create the workplace culture they feel has been missing with remote work, 91% of employers say in-person collaboration is their main return-to-office goal. “It gives people a sense of belonging to a larger community and purpose,” says Pradere.

Meanwhile, with AI changing the very nature of work, Hendry agrees the office will become more important than ever. “The human-centric side of work needs to step up and workplaces will play a vital role in helping us connect, convene, innovate and learn,” she says.

Yet the widespread adoption of video conferencing tools means virtual collaboration still accounts for almost a quarter of all time spent in offices, with at least half of these calls taking place at the workstation, potentially disturbing nearby colleagues.

Employees often just need to get their head down and get work done, and it seems managers are suffering the most.