Monthly Archives : April 2012

Blogger Mike Figliulo poses a challenge for business leaders – move into a cubicle for a while and see how it changes your perspective. Mike has a very negative view of cubicles (mostly because of the lack of privacy and too much noise). However, he thinks managers could learn a lot from getting down in the trenches. His idea is that getting leaders into the flow and making them more accessible will provide them with insight into what’s going on from day to day. For example, a leader would have advance warning when a project starts to go off track. Of course, there’s another valuable lesson leaders could learn from sitting in a cubicle rather than a private office. That’s the reality that cubicles with low panels don’t adequately support workers’ needs for noise control and visual privacy.

Are you a business leader looking for ways to connect with your workforce? Why not bring them up to your level? Adding panel extenders is a very cost-effective way to provide all employees with a little of the luxury of an office.

There’s a conversation over at The Globe and Mail about whether moving to a more remote desk is a good idea or not. The question was posed by a white collar employee who really wants to claim a larger workstation that’s opened up a little further away from the “hub” of the office activity. The employee has this to say about the pros of moving:

“My current desk is more in the hub but the new desk will give me piece of mind, more space, more privacy to think, and make me happier, but now I’m concerned about the message I may be sending.”

The employee’s manager and a coworker have both subtly hinted that moving over one desk might give the impression of “choosing isolation”. The manager outright stated that the employee being able to overhear what goes on at neighboring desks helps the employee do their job. That really only makes sense is the company has no other means of communication or if the employee’s primary responsibility is to eavesdrop on coworkers. It’s obvious that the employee would prefer to have more privacy and NOT be forced to listen in on every passing conversation between others.

One response to the question highlights the logical disconnect created by today’s emphasis on open office environments. The advice giver discusses how “cubicle walls seem to be getting lower and lower to encourage communication and information sharing. This is all in line with flatter organizations and a focus on openness and collaboration…The idea is that collaboration leads to innovation and better ideas.”

The problem is that this idea isn’t necessarily based in reality. If an employee is saying, “I need more privacy and less distraction so I can do my job better”, that’s probably what they really do need (and they might appreciate some panel extenders). You can’t force innovation or collaboration. Unless the workers in question are actually tasked with innovating as part of their job duties, there’s no reason to design an entire work environment around this mythical goal. Have we really reached the point where employees are warned against seeking out the kind of environment where they can actually focus on getting work done because they fear being labeled as aloof?

…Nor iron bars a cage. Richard Lovelace won’t mind us coining his most famous lines, will he? This recent news story about employers who go too far by turning their cubicles into cells has a poetic feel to it. Employees at a Florida law firm responded to their employer’s heavy handed anti-socialization policy by wearing orange shirts to work (to mimic prison inmates). Six were fired for this “offense”. One of the policies the workers were allegedly protesting was the prohibition on speaking to one another over their cubicle walls – even when the conversations were work related.

Naturally, the terminated workers are suing their employer. It seems like a law firm would know that firing employees for protesting working conditions is illegal according to the National Labor Relations Act. It’s considered ‘union-busting’ whether there’s a union in place or not. It does make you wonder what was actually going on that would prompt the employer to attempt to institute such restrictive policies in the first place. If productivity is low, it’s a sign that engagement is suffering. Dealing a death blow to morale isn’t exactly the smartest move in that situation. It makes a lot more sense to find out what workers need (physically and emotionally) to do their jobs more effectively and then find creative ways to meet those needs.

Takeaway Points

We’re in favor of increasing cubicle wall heights to cut down on unwanted distractions. But forbidding cross-cubicle communication is obviously counterproductive – it’s enforcing isolation rather than providing privacy. Employees should always feel that they can turn to a coworker for collaboration on a work project to increase productivity and effectiveness. That’s one good reason to talk to your employees about the best placement for cubicle panel extenders. They can tell you which walls need to be higher to block out unnecessary sights and sounds and which ones (if any) they like lower to allow easy communication with helpful neighbors.

How do cubicle panel vertical extensions make the workplace multi-purpose? They create a place in today’s open plan offices for workers who need to be able to really focus. There’s an excellent article over at Work, Learn, Play about how employers can incorporate different design features to accommodate a variety of work styles. They make a good point that not every worker’s preference is “set in stone”. Some might enjoy higher cubicle walls one day and a team workspace around a table the next. With panel extenders, it’s easy to upgrade cubicles in a hot-desking environment so that employees can pick what type of environment they prefer from day to day. If you find that employees are gravitating toward the cubes with higher walls, it’s easy to add panel extenders to other workstations to make this option available to more employees.

At OBEX, we’re always in favor of technology that cuts down on interruptions for employees. So, we were intrigued by this little gadget created by a self-professed amateur tech wizard. Check out this wiki on how to make a Lync cubicle presence indicator. It takes cubicle etiquette to a whole new level. Instead of walking into someone else’s cube, knocking on a cube wall, peeking over the top of a panel, or hollering back and forth, visitors can announce their presence with the push of a button.

The display on the indicator has three modes: green, yellow and red. Green means you’re in the cube and available for a quick question, collaborative discussion, or in-person work conversation. Yellow means you’re off work or away from your cube. Red means you’re currently occupied (such as on the phone or in a meeting). Coworkers don’t have to guess what each light means because you can also program the small LCD text screen to display a message such as:

• Away from my desk
• On the phone
• In a meeting

The indicator also features a button that can be pressed to send you a popup message on your computer screen. This alerts you to the fact that someone “out there” wants to speak with you. If you’re not at your desk, you can set up the button so it rings your cell phone. Then, you and your visitor can talk through your computer’s mic and speakers.

The whole project is fascinating (and the instructions and code are all free/open source so you can make your own).

• Is this a tool you would use?
• Would it make the workplace more polite?
• Can you see how installing these on your cubicles might increase privacy and productivity even more?
• Have you seen any other gadgets that would make a good match with our panel extenders?

Let us know in the comments.

The research just keeps piling up against open plan offices that don’t control workplace acoustics well. The Sound Agency has an article out now stating that too much noise in the office can reduce the productivity of knowledge workers by 66%! The piece includes a link to a fantastic TED talk containing that statistic that you’ll want to watch (it’s less than 6 minutes long). In a survey conducted by the Leesman research group, almost 1 out of 4 employees stated they were dissatisfied at the lack of availability of quiet working spaces. If you don’t think these stats are acceptable, it’s time to do something about it. Cubicle wall vertical extenders can play an important role in the quest to create the ideal work environment. Just imagine how much more pleasant your office will be when you take Julian Treasure’s “sound advice” and get a handle on workplace noise!

At OBEX Panel Extenders, we place a lot of emphasis on workplace acoustics. Our products are designed to help employers and workers manage noise levels easily and cost effectively. But there are actually several different components of overall acoustic management. Goldenharvest-acoustic.com has a highly informative educational resource that you should definitely take time to read if you’re planning a new or renovated office space. It explores the “ABCs” of keeping the volume of workplace chatter under control. Here’s a quick look at what you can learn:

A is for Absorb

Ceiling tiles and acoustic panels on cubicles both play a role in absorbing sound. The Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) rating of a material refers to its ability to absorb noise. A high NRC rating means the sound is absorbed effectively by the filler in the panel so it doesn’t bounce back into the cube and annoy the user. A very absorbent panel system can help a workplace seem quieter.

B is for Block

This is the STC or Sound Transmission Class rating. Cubicle panels can be used for blocking sound as well as absorbing it. The noise produced within a cubicle basically bounces back into the cubicle rather than being transmitted to the neighboring cube. That’s a factor in limiting unintentional eavesdropping. However, it only works as intended with cubicle panels that reach above head height. Otherwise, you’re just talking over the top of the cube (you can see how panel extenders can help prevent this!)

C is for Cover Up

This includes various types of sound masking technology. It can be white noise or other sounds that help take the edge off of noises that would otherwise be distracting. An HVAC system might do the trick by simply making a whooshing sound that blurs the clicking of keyboards. Or, you might need a more sophisticated electronic system to garble the sound of conversations and ensure privacy. That’s the area of Golden Harvest Architectural Acoustics’ expertise. They provide sound masking Qt Quiet technology™ that targets the range of the human voice instead of simply raising the noise level across all spectrums.

If you get the ABCs right, your employees can enjoy an unprecedented level of comfort and concentration in the workplace!

Mike over at cubicles.com has an excellent blog post up right now about office design and collaboration. Collaboration has become a real buzz word over the last decade, but it’s not always easy to achieve a truly collaborative atmosphere in the workplace. Simply lowering cubicle panels and forcing everyone to live and work “in each other’s faces” all day isn’t the answer. Instead, work spaces should include environments that allow employees to talk freely and areas where they can have more privacy. Here are a couple of the takeaway quotes that can help you decide on the right balance:

“Sometimes an open floor space plan can actually inhibit collaboration, as employees may feel vulnerable about being overheard and overexposed.”

“Build flexibility into your design so that you can test permutations, and measure the designʼs effects.”

We agree. Flexibility is one of the best features of our panel extenders. They let you experiment freely at a very low cost. It only takes a few minutes to install, uninstall or move a panel extension to a new location. You can increase cubicle height easily in various configurations to find out what really works for increasing meaningful communication and collaboration.