THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEES’ PERCEIVED NOISE POLLUTION AT WORK PLACE AND TIMELY WORK DELIVERY AT SELECTED CONSLTANCY FIRMS

Abstract

This study is conducted with the main purpose to determine the association between employees’ perceived noise pollution at work place and timely work delivery.Most people at one time or another has found themselves irritated or distracted by the background noise in their work place. This irritation might have resulted in minor aggravation or may have been dramatic enough to hinder their work. This leads us to ask whether or not occupants’ perception to noise pollution at their work place has an association with their ability to deliver their work on time. In an effort to answer this question, the study intends to see the association where noise pollution is relatively assumed to be most destructive that is among consultancy firms, whose work force are knowledge workers who are engaged in a mental process work. Conducting this study helps organizations to have considerations in controlling sources of noise in the office. For this reason, this study took a sample of 82 consultants randomly drawn from five consultancy firms. Subjective assessment for the study is solely obtained from the administration of questionnaires and interviews. It is used in order to get the employees’ perceptions on their work place noise pollution and the level of their concentration, communication, emotional stability and job satisfaction when they perceive the various sources of noise at their work place. Data is analyzed quantitatively using the SPSS and Microsoft Excel and presented with the aid of frequency distributions, pie charts, tables and graphs. The research identified the existence of a positive and strong relationship between employees’ perceived noise pollution and timely work delivery through the hypotheses it has set to prove. The study also confirms from employees’ perspective that music, chattering, outside traffic noise and office machinery sounds are the main source of noise pollution at work place. Finally, based on the overall study analysis, substantial recommendations such as; consideration of work place layout design, noise related code of conduct in the office, reducing dense environment and white noise are proposed to help those who are exposed to noise at their work places.