Are you aware of the extent that noise can cause distractions in the workplace? If not, then you only have to think of the last time you tried to concentrate on something serious with a lot of Noise going on around you.

Have you ever tried to work on a complex math problem or read a book with a conversation going on nearby, or a baby screaming frantically just feet away? If you have, then you should have a very good understanding of the level of distraction noise can cause.

The FERPA of 1974 was created to protect the privacy of students in the U.S. educational system. It has very specific guidelines about the protection of student educational records, and it outlines the exact circumstances under which student information should be released.


Schools that violate the act could find themselves in legal trouble, and no institution wants to have to go to court to defend themselves against charges that they released a student’s information without their consent. Not only could it be very costly to defend, but the school’s reputation could be harmed in the process. It is your school’s responsibility to do everything possible to protect student information. You may have strict policies regarding how student records are stored and distributed. You may keep records under lock and key.

You may password-protect your computer files. You might even have security cameras or guards that protect the files. But your students’ records might be compromised in a way you never even thought of. People are fallible. They make mistakes. It’s natural for humans to make mistakes from times to time - everyone does. But when those mistakes could mean legal trouble for the employer, the employees need to be given the proper tools to minimize those mistakes.

Since noise is cited as the number one complaint about the workplace environment by over 70% of people, it makes sense to do everything possible to minimize noise. Noise can be a major cause of errors in the workplace. One study found that decreasing noise distractions decreased errors by 10%. Incidentally, productivity also rose by over 40%, making it a great side benefit. Noise isn’t as hard to deal with as you might think.


Aside from taking precautions to eliminate excessive noise, such as asking employees to keep personal conversations to a minimum, and to keep their voices down as much as possible, you can also have some sort of system installed to help deal with the noise. Some offices have insulation installed in doors, walls, and ceilings. This can help minimize disruption caused by outside noise, but it does little to deal with the noise inside the office.

It can also be very costly in offices that don’t already have this built in. Other offices use sound masking systems to minimize disruptive noise. Sound masking systems use low-volume white noise to mask distracting sounds, converting them into sounds that can be tuned out more easily. A fan is a sound that can be tuned out. After a while being in the room with a whirring fan, you forget it’s even there. White noise helps turn annoying Noise like conversations into sounds than can simply be tuned out and ignored. A good sound masking system can substantially reduce mistakes, and help protect you from a very expensive lawsuit.

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