Beautifully designed workspaces help attract and keep the best talent.
These types of workplaces go a long way to impress clients and says a lot about a company. New workplaces are designed without cubicles and a lot of glass.
The open-plan office has a lot of benefits. One of these is allowing plenty of natural light. Research conducted by Mirjam Muench shows that artificial light is causing employees to come sleepier. Perhaps not surprisingly – it also found that a view of nature results in employees that are less stressed and healthier.
“Lighting conditions in workplaces contribute to a variety of factors related to work satisfaction, productivity and well-being”
The open-plan office comes with its downsides. A study done by the University of Sydney found that sound privacy had the biggest impact on employee morale. The researchers found that uncontrollable noise and loss of privacy are the main sources of dissatisfaction in the workplace.
“The benefits of being close to co-workers in open plan offices were offset by factors such as increased noise and less privacy.. It clearly indicates the disadvantages of open plan offices clearly outweigh the benefits,”
So.. what can businesses do to solve this problem?
Harvard Business Review published an article with a few suggestions:
1. Dedicated quiet space
Provide a space where employees can go to when trying to focus. This could be an unused conference room or empty office. Another great solution is a modular solution from Silent Pod or another provider.
2. Give workers a space to make some noise
Providing a designated space for interaction and discussions lets employees know that when they are at their desks is the time to be quiet and focus. Suggest providing booths that employees are able to go to take a call without disrupting their colleagues.
3. Create some background noise
Adding some sounds to the office might help things seem a bit quieter. What you want is some low-level ambient noise.
4. Use acoustic materials
If you are an office that has some significant sound problems, don’t fear! There are some pretty stylish solutions now available on the market. Some ideas include drop ceilings that come in all shapes and colors and furniture that uses acoustic material.