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     A couple of points of interest:   
      
     (1) When my most-recent employer brought us back into the office, part of   
     their reasoning for doing so was to promote "loud talking" -- they thought   
     it was a more collaborative and productive environment when we could "shout   
     over the (cube) walls" at each other, which was something I didn't agree   
     with.   
     (2) The company who provided this research also sells office air quality   
     monitors, something mentioned at the end.   
      
   Is a 'poor productivity climate' killing your efficiency? Most workers say   
   returning to the office is making us a lot less productive   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:15:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   New report uncovers the detrimental effects loud noise and poor air quality   
   can have on worker productivity.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Workers are already speaking up against returning to the office, citing   
   reduced in-office productivity and the loss of flexibility, and new research   
   from Logitech backs that up  office distractions are said to be costing UK   
   businesses more than 330 million hours per year.    
      
   Nearly three in four (71%) participants agreed office distractions reduce   
   productivity, with a quarter of them losing at least an hour a week due to   
   poor "productivity climate," such as noise, lighting, air quality, or    
   outdated tech.    
      
   In fact, noise was found to be the biggest productivity killer overall, with   
   loud talking (43%) and loud typing (21%) being particular bugbears.   
      
   Offices aren't exactly the right environment for productivity   
      
   More than two-thirds (69%) of the 2,000 hybrid and office-based workers   
   surveyed have argued with colleagues over noise levels, and more than half   
   (51%) have even moved seats or gone home because of office chatter.    
      
   Besides the obvious, workers are also being affected by air quality. Stuffy   
   meeting rooms and poor ventilation are key productivity killers here.    
      
   Looking ahead, it's clear that companies need to do more to improve the   
   in-office environment if they're to be enacting mass return-to-office   
   mandates. Around one-third each want fresh air ventilation systems (32%),    
   more natural light (32%) and soundproof booths (31%).    
      
   "The modern office must reflect the evolving needs of the people it hosts and   
   the work that goes on inside it," Logitech Head of Workplace Experience David   
   Houseman shared.    
      
   The report also alludes to the use of biohacking to improve conditions, which   
   involves using data, science, and technology to optimize the workplace.    
      
   Logitech's findings come around a year after the company launched Spot, a    
   $499 office air quality monitor.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/most-workers-say-returning-to-the-office-is-maki   
   ng-us-a-lot-less-productive   
      
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