What does it take to improve workplace productivity? Does it mean pressuring people to meet deadlines? Does it mean giving coworkers free rein to their working conditions, even if it hampers yours? It's amazing what unexpected, but effective solutions are available in this day and age, if you are willing to pitch in time and a bit of money.

This is where we can make use of white noise. This is random noise that, when captured by the human ear, does not have any corresponding meaning. To explain, when we hear a person talking we grasp their words as words. When we hear a line of music, we understand it as music, even when that music is off-key. However, when listening to noise we associate no meaning to it other than as random sounds, meaning noise.

These kinds of sounds have several uses. They are often used as audio samples in mixing music, sometimes even in assembling whole songs. These sounds are also used in testing out concert venues. Noise is a godsend for people with tinnitus, because they alleviate the ringing sound that causes their suffering.

What may be of most interest to you is its ability to block outside noise. This is taken advantage of in emergency sirens, like those for police cars, EMTs, firefighters, etc. This is also used as a common privacy solution in counseling and security situations.

But how does using white noise machines help improve office productivity? They do so by taking advantage of human nature. Your coworkers may often have to deal with auditory distractions of several kinds: office chatter, music playing, even the shuffling of steps. Adding noise makes all these distractions inconspicuous, allowing coworkers to focus on their tasks at hand.

Even if privacy is not a tantamount concern, several systems are available that can accommodate your office needs. You need not spend much on productivity solutions either, as these systems have long been in use in the office already and you can make appropriate purchase of a system balancing cost and utility.