Office Privacy Pods Curing Workplace Noise and Stress Issues

The modern office is constantly incorporating more open space with little or no partitions. This style is particularly seen in new industries, startups or the tech world. Providing workers easier access to managers, colleagues and other company personnel were supposed to increase collaboration, communication, and productivity.

However, despite this idea being paved with good intentions, its turns out most white collar workers would feel more comfortable with a quiet space work. A review of studies and surveys taken of employees in open-plan offices show that only 10% thought that the ease of interacting with colleagues wasn’t good enough. Had information like that been more public, business owners would never have attempted such a dramatic office design change.

Furthermore, workers are not happy with the excessive amount of noise they hear from coworkers. 54% find their office too noisy. A study by Berlin’s Humboldt University showed that it can take up to 23 minutes to regain focus on a task after an interruption. This means that enough loud noises, phone calls, and conversations can potentially waste an hour or more of an employees work day. It’s hard to imagine companies are getting their money worth when you read numbers like that.

As workers incorporate more sophisticated technology into their workflow, the need for intense focus is increased. 54% of high-performance workers who were studied said they found their office too distracting, and 58% of them said they needed quieter at work. Managers and executives should particularly take note of those two statistics because keeping high-performance workers happy is a must to stay competitive regardless of what industry you’re in.

An enjoyable office environment were workers feel like they can be successful is conducive to lower turnover and lower stress. It also turns out the separation from coworkers can lead to higher job attendance, with up to 62% less sicks days being taken by employees not working in an open office. It your workspace design can’t keep the common cold in check, it’s time to rethink things.

Fortunately, if you’ve designed an open office for your business, or if you’re a manager or head of human resources, the startup world has created a neat solution that doesn’t require you to undertake massive construction or move facilities.

Office privacy pods – which look and feel like phone booths – are a cost-effective, viable option for companies looking to provide an enclosure for sales calls, high focus tasks, or an escape for workers who just need to tune out and get stuff done for an hour.

Some privacy pods are soundproof, blocking 40 decibels of noise with the use of denim insulation. They come with USB ports, electrical outlets and a motion activated the fan to cycle the air every two minutes. Even more, there are pods available that are big enough to fit 4 people, offering a makeshift conference room for in-person meetings with important clients or business partners.

Best of all, these booths are portable, allowing businesses to move them as needed when the layout of the office changes or more staff are added. This is a benefit that exceeds what partitions can offer, as those enclosures are practically permanent once they’ve been added to a workspace.

With office privacy pods, the end result is that workers no longer have to take up an entire conference room for phone calls or leave their building entirely. Employees who need to get away from excessive office noise or accomplish tasks that take intense focus finally have an answer to their open office downsides. Who knew there would be so many, and who knew the answer would be so simple?