Busy offices  usually produce a lot of noise, which makes privacy a very rare commodity. Having to deal with high noise levels can disrupt concentration and have a cumulative effect on employees’ productivity and efficiency.

To ease the effects of  “noise pollution” in an office environment, technologies have been developed to help cancel out the background noise and provide a “cone of silence” for individual work stations, offices and call centers bullpens.

Sound masking systems have advanced far beyond simple acoustic ceiling tiles and insulation. The new technologues use miniature emitters installed in the ceilings to create a pleasant, non-distracting “white noise” that not only blocks outside sounds, but insures private conversations are not overheard.

These devices can be installed and adjusted to suit any size of office. Sound masking systems can be either be used as a stand-alone for a single office or a multi-office system can centrally controlled.

Be aware that sound masking is NOT the same as noise cancellation. Only military facilities have access to true noise cancellation technology, so on the open market only use of headphones or directional microphones actually cancel out ambient sounds. Sound masking creates a cushion of background noise that creates individual “quiet zones” so you do not have to control the source of the sound, but can eliminate it from the immediate environment.

Sound masking also reduces the need for extra insulation between workspaces and the physical sound blockers like plenum barriers and complicated acoustical return air ducts. Architects have more flexibility designing comfortable office spaces that do not depend on using doors and walls to block sound. Contractors can drastically reduce construction costs by installing continual suspending ceiling grids for office complexes since sound masking technology eliminates the need for separate t-bar ceilings in individual rooms.

With professional sound masking devices, organisations have the freedom to using open plan offices and reduce workstation footprints, athough there is a noise threshold that must be calculated to insure optimum efficiency. Sound masking consulatants can determine the correct  acoustic requirements for increased  density in an office space.

Bringing food to eat at work, especially in a big office, can create some interesting social situations. Understanding how finicky and particular some people can be about their food and dining circumstances will go a long way towards keeping a good environment in the lunchroom.

Sanitation

Coffee cups, spoons, plates and all other kitchen items need to, of course, be kept clean and germ free. Ideally, there will be a maid service to do regular thorough cleaning, but even if there is, a fulltime staff member should be appointed to kitchen duty to assure that proper sanitation practices are in place.

Of course, employees should be responsible for policing after themselves and keeping the area clean, but they cannot always be expected to have the time to clean countertops, refrigerators and microwaves that should be attended on a regular basis. Basic cleaning supplies should be provided in the kitchen area so that anyone who needs to clean up can do so. Posting a clever sign like ” your mother doesn’t work here, clean up after yourself” will only do so much, but they should, nonetheless, be included.

Common Food and Drinks

Quite often, office lunchrooms are recipients of food or drinks that are free to all, such as birthday cakes, holiday dishes and leftovers. Certain rules of etiquette certainly apply, especially those dealing with sanitation issues like ” double dipping” and sharing utensils. There is also an unwritten rule that even though it’s free, you want to save plenty for everyone else so there are no hard feelings later.

Coffee makers, filtered water machines and soda dispensers are all items they should be everyone’s responsibility to a degree. No one should be allowed to compromise other’s health by not properly using such common dispensers. The specific contact person should be appointed to routinely oversee all beverage centers to make sure they are well stocked, clean and bug free, and their name should be prominently posted in case anyone has questions or concerns.

Respecting Private Food

When people bring their lunch to work or stock some snacks in the office lunchroom, they should be able to come back and find it a right where they left it.

Many office hostilities can arise when a hungry workers’ lunch is missing because another office worker helped themselves to it. If such issues are a problem, employees should be instructed to label their food containers. No one should have to resort to the ” fake mold plastic bag” novelty item that is being sold to discourage thievery from office lunchrooms.

Another private food problem that occurs involves proper storage.  Some people forget about items and they become rancid or moldy and need to be properly disposed of by their owners. This is one more reason to have workers label their food so it can be identified. Another aspect of this problem involves improper use of the refrigerator space, resulting in cramped conditions where stored food is being crushed or mangled by new items jockeying for position.

Sharing

A rather delicate situation that  occurs in office lunchrooms is people’s enthusiasm about their recipes and food choices. What is delicious to one may be disgusting to another, and people should be aware that not everyone shares their tastes and be very understanding if another employee does not want to try your newest ” hotter-than-hell” salsa recipe because they have in more sensitive system than you do.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong for sharing as long as you are considerate, and the lunchroom is an excellent place to swap recipes, favorite restaurants and daring menus with your coworkers. Learning about others’ tastes can be an interesting way to discover more about the people you work with, and nothing is more delightful than having someone show up with one of your favorites because they know how much you like it.

True, the idea of team building has been around for decades, but a new trend is emerging that goes beyond the “feel good” atmosphere of many events that resemble a pep rally more than a tool to create rapport.

Corporations realize that they can accomplish two goals with one effort when they arrange team building exercises that contribute their time and labor to charitable activities. It is a perfect chance to benefit the community at large and boost their corporate image better than anything as superficial as a  celebrity golf tournament.

According to a New York Times article, the Cone Corporate Citizenship Study showed that 86 percent of the consumers surveyed said their brand choice is influenced by good deeds done by their employees. But positive consumer reaction is just part of the equation, and researcher Charles Moore has said studies find the volunteering as a team creates a “camaraderie quotient.”

Habitat for Humanity
This popular charity constructs new homes for low income families and has programs in most U.S. Cities, so you can even sponsor a Habitat for Humanity trip to a fun location like Las Vegas or Miami Beach.

Participants in these projects have a chance to use their ‘out-of-office’ skills such as carpentry, painting, roofing or landscaping and learn things they never knew about each other.

Since the schedules are arranged so that a team can spend the day working together, they can achieve significant results that creates a true sense of group accomplishment at the end of the day.

Kaboom

Help refurbish or build new playgrounds for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods by signing up for the SAVE PLAY program offred for corporate team building by the non-profit group Kaboom.

This weekend activity coordinates your staff for a high-spirited day building outdoor playgrounds that are laid out in advance. The result is a safe, fun environment for neighborhood kids and some rather obvious rewards for future public relations campaigns and product branding.

IMEC

Corporations in the medical field can arrange for team building programs with this non-profit agency that assembles equipment and supplies for hospitals and clinics in 70 third world countries.

Clinical workers and recent graduates can get hands-on skills repairing and sterilizing refurbished equipment that will be packaged up and sent as complete medical emergency kits around the world.

Not only is this project good for building morale, but it can be great for applying skills that had only been academic to some employees.

Disaster Relief Stations

A flexible in-house team building project can be established that will respond to natural disasters where federal agencies can be overwhelmed so additional, coordinated help from corporate teams is welcomed.

Having the equipment and training necessary to respond to disaster situations shows your corporation is responsive to the community and has taken steps to be prepared to offer their services when the need arises. It also empowers employees to feel like they have made a plan to contribute to their community when help is needed most.