Want one reason your company should consider quiet space pods for its workers? The average full-time employee works forty hours per week — meaning nearly a quarter of their existence is at the office. That's not much alone time compared to the amount medical professionals now suggest we need to focus and stay stress free.
But quiet space pods can help with that, and people who are less stressed will appreciate their office atmosphere so much more.
According to the American Society of Interior Designers, employees who like their office environment are 31% more likely to be satisfied with their job.
A study by Metro Design also showed that an open office makeover would dramatically increase the productivity of nearly half of the employees surveyed.
Creating a pleasant and inspiring office environment that also addresses employees’ need for privacy is fundamental to their productivity and work performance.
Today’s open offices are designed to facilitate in-depth communication and collaboration, provide a suitable level of comfort, and foster team-building among employees — all three of utmost importance to a productive office space.
In fact, as of 2010 a staggering 70% of US offices utilized open workspaces. Yet, in practice, the open-office design concept is greatly hampering the workplace.
Here, we’re discussing the key downsides of open offices, and how companies can improve their employees’ productivity by incorporating office booths into their work place.
Downsides of Open Offices: The Lack of Physical Barriers Impacts Privacy
Glance into any modern business office. You’re bound to see an open office space filled with laptops and hardworking professionals.
Our quiet space pods start at $4495
As more companies are shifting from cubicle-heavy spaces to open-office floor plans, physical barriers between employees are removed, taking with them any sense of privacy.
Whether it’s about taking (or making) a private phone call every now and again, or just getting away from the buzz of the office for a few moments, privacy is essential to creating a happy work environment. By depriving staff members of privacy, you might, in fact, decrease their ability to be productive and perform well in the office.
A study by the University of Sydney found that 50% of employees working in a completely open office, as well as nearly 60% of employees working in cubicles with low walls, are not satisfied with their level of privacy. Only 16% of employees working in private offices reported the same.
Open-office floor plans can feel like a “Big Brother” state, which is distinguished by its highly surveillant character. Even if managers aren't constantly watching what employees are doing, this atmosphere often induces anxiety and stress in employees.
The violating degree of visibility to which the worker is subjected subconsciously communicates low social status and breeds feelings of frustration and irritability, both counterproductive to your company’s bottom line.
Executive size quiet space pods start at $13,995
The Lack of Physical Barriers Causes Distractions
A 2014 study by the Harvard Business Review revealed that employees in open-office spaces miss an average of 86 minutes of productive time each day as a result of noise distractions in the office, such as loud printers, ringing cell phones, or conversations between co-workers. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, employees working in open-office floor plans report a loss of three to five hours of productive working time every day due to various interruptions.
While it’s generally accepted that open plan offices have opened up new levels of communication and idea-sharing between employees, this isn’t always a good thing.
Persistent distraction can waste workers’ time and drain their productivity, not to mention that it can take up to 23 minutes to restore focus after an interruption, according to Berlin’s Humboldt University’s findings.
UK’s Dale Office Interiors surveyed 500 members of the public on what they thought would improve productivity levels at work when it came to office design. Of these, 17.2% responded they wanted more quiet spaces for private work or phone calls.
Quiet Space Pods Could Improve Employees’ Health and Well-being
In addition to perpetual distractions and the lack of privacy that comes with an open-office floor plan, employee productivity can be greatly hampered by increasing absenteeism due to sickness. Research has shown that employees working in open office spaces take about 62% more sick days compared to those who work in private offices.
Without cubicles or walls, any employee fighting a cold is more likely to spread it to his or her co-workers. And in the worst-case scenario, the entire staff gets sick and needs more days off, which seriously impacts the company.
But it isn’t just germs and bacteria that cause damage to employees’ health and well-being. Continuous exposure to loud noise can cause tinnitus, a condition generally described as a whistling sound that may seem to be in one ear or the other, but often feels like it is going straight through both of them.
Understandably, dealing with tinnitus on a regular basis can result in decreased focus — another factor that contributes to low productivity among employees in open offices.
Workplace noise might also cause fatigue, raise blood pressure, and increase stress levels significantly, triggering the onset of various conditions such as arteriosclerosis and hypertension.
Not Enough Privacy Can Cause Animosities Between Employees
Although open office floor plans were engineered with the intention of facilitating communication and collaboration, they can often have counterproductive effects.
Due to the lack of privacy, everything from phone calls to emails, screens, and meetings can be observed, noted, and copied — not to mention transformed into gossip and possibly sabotage in the case of highly-competitive staff members.
Moreover, not everyone works well in the openness of this office design concept. While some of your employees might actually enjoy group work, conversation, and brainstorming sessions, others might need quiet solitude to work through their thoughts and create their best work.
These employees might be held back by open-plan spaces and may not be able to achieve the level of performance they’re truly capable of.
How Implementing Office Pods Addresses Open Office Downsides
Achieving the right balance of openness and privacy can present a challenge to many companies. Here at Zenbooth, we’ve got great news for you — and an equally great solution to address all downsides of an open office floor plan.
Our range of office pods have been specifically designed to provide quiet and privacy to employees. The best part is, they can be easily integrated right into your current open office.
Not convinced yet? Take a look at the benefits below.
Quiet Space Pods are Low-Cost, Easy to Install and Relocatable
Our quiet pods are engineered with great usability in mind. Boasting a modular construction, enhanced with convenient plug-and-play electrical connection, office phone booths are extremely easy to install and only require 1-2 hours to be up and running.
Need to reconfigure your office space or relocate? One of the greatest benefits of our office booths is their portability. They can be assembled and disassembled any number of times, and as often as you need.
The easy-move design lets you move the booth around by simply pushing it to the new desired location. All of this without the need to invest in expensive walls or private offices for every single one of your employees.
They Block Up to 40 Decibels of Noise
As many of the disadvantages of open-office spaces stem from the high level of noise, it’s understandable that addressing the root cause can greatly improve employee productivity and performance.
Whether for corporate or private phone calls, meetings, or just personal space, office phone booths offer the much-needed privacy that open offices lack.
They’re spacious enough to accommodate up to two people comfortably, enabling your employees to easily withdraw within a quiet space to work in an environment that is free of noise and distractions.
They’re the perfect solution for incorporating more quiet areas into your current open office plans and boosting your company’s productivity.
Quiet Pods Are Ideal for Brainstorming and Collaborative Work
Because these office booths can fit up to two people comfortably, they serve not just as a source of privacy and quiet to help individual workers focus, make important calls, or to complete other tasks, but they are also ideal for small group work.
Instead of two or three employees getting together to review ideas or to discuss a work project, which will disturb other workers in an open office plan, they can go into the quiet pod to conduct their meeting. This has two advantages. First, they will be able to focus on what they are working on together. Second, it saves the rest of your staff from being interrupted.
For organizations that use agile methods to meet goals and to get projects going, these booths are a match made in heaven. Frequent, quick meetings with lots of points addressed (and lots of fast discussion), can be held within.
Office Pods Are quipped with Top-Notch Amenities and Features
Zenbooths have been engineered to meet the needs of our time. Architecturally designed to fit in open office spaces, our fully self-contained phone booths mitigate productivity drains by providing a number of amenities and features that promote better performance at work.
Quiet ventilation fans ensure the quiet space pods are excellently ventilated at all times, preventing germs and bacteria from spreading in the air. The magnetic latching system keeps the double pane insulated glass door closed continuously, guaranteeing the highest level of sound resistance and privacy available in the industry.
Two electrical outlets and USB ports supply state-of-the-art, ultra-safe power to multiple devices at the same time, providing an optimal experience to all employees utilizing the phone booths. A built-in sensor automatically turns off all electronics and ventilation fans within the booth when it’s not occupied.
The addition of the anti-fatigue floor mat gives a cushioned standing surface to reduce fatigue and standing-related strain and pain, therefore enhancing the well-being of your employees and successfully creating a healthy work environment. Because a happy employee is a productive employee.
They're Prominent in Build and Quality
Meticulously crafted by the skilled engineers at Zenbooth, our range of office pods utilize the industry’s finest materials to create efficient work spaces that add to the modern aesthetic of your office design.
Made from high-grade, pre-finished solid maple wood, sourced from local USA forests, the phone booths implement renewable insulation materials that make it 100% environmentally friendly and optimally temperature-controlled.
The double pane insulated glass door is framed with hardwearing anodized aluminum, built to the highest levels of design efficiency and performance. The exterior is available in both maple and white options, with a maple interior boasting a shatterproof plexiglass ceiling and a maple wood desk of exemplary quality — unparalleled by other phone booths.
Our Quiet Pods Are Extremely Versatile
Innovative in concept and design, our office privacy booths provide a versatile solution to the open-office, high-stress, low-productivity dilemma in a highly practical way.
Blocking up to 40 decibels of noise, the phone booths give employees access to quiet spaces where they can relax, take or make private calls, or simply get away from the distractions and interruptions of open-office floor plans. By removing noise-related productivity drains, you can facilitate better concentration and ultimately improve productivity.
These pods are also excellent for quiet meetings or conferences and corporate calls that require discretion. Most notably, they offer a cost-effective office redesign solution that optimizes work flow within your open office space.
Find Out More About Our Quiet Space Pods Today
Worried that your open office space might hamper your employees’ productivity? Worry not — Zenbooth brings you a contemporary work pod / work booth, guaranteed to eliminate the downsides of open offices and give you privacy and peace of mind.
Contact the Zenbooth team today to discuss the amazing features of our effective office pods, and learn how they can benefit your current office design.
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