Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Traditional offices laden with cubicles and closed-door offices are slowly becoming obsolete as companies have started down the path of open-office, collaborative spaces. Although this might spike motivation and communication, it can also be distracting.
Open-office concepts encourage walls to come down and communication to pick up, but with this background noise can become an issue when trying to focus. Studies show that workers can lose up to 86 minutes a day due to outside noises. Emphasizing a quieter workplace could help decrease these distractions.
Designating quiet and loud spaces within the office could help minimize this issue and help increase productivity. Even simple design changes, such as carpeting, can help absorb outside noise.
Other factors that can potentially increase motivation and focus in an open office is simply changing colors schemes.
“Employers can use wall colour to distinguish between different spaces within the office and encourage a high-energy work environment. Colour can also be used at the employee level to create a sense of individuality and customisation,” according to twinfm.com.
To create a distinction between open desks and an individual’s space, personalizing your desk can give a sense of privacy and individuality. Employees can tailor their space with color schemes and more to reflect their own personality and what motivates them.
Reducing clutter in an open office can also contribute to increased productivity. Being organized while still maintaining a sleek design in the office is readily available nowadays. Office products provider Leitz offers a storage system that has stackable, yet stylish plastic storage boxes that are perfect for keeping clutter at bay.
All in all, with offices constantly evolving, open space concepts do not have to sacrifice productivity for design.
