Monthly Archives : August 2018

Open offices have long been one of those areas of office design in which the public-facing presentation didn’t quite match the science-backed conclusions.

Tech companies gravitated toward these minimalistic design trends for many different reasons, one of which is very logical: money. It costs more capital to buy cubicles for 50 employees than it does to buy 10 rows of tables and 50 chairs. Why buy furniture when you can hire another coder?

As the years have gone by, science has started to catch up to trend. There’s plenty of evidence that indicates private workspaces are crucial to productivity. Much of it has to do with your brain; we’re wired to thrive when our brain feels a certain level of privacy.

The Washington Post recently jumped into the anti-open-office movement when reporter Lindsey Kaufman included the open office in the paper’s annual Spring Cleaning edition. The theme? Ten things to toss.

One Reporter’s Reasons for Bidding Farewell to the Open Office

Kaufman’s piece on open offices is concise and echoes what we mentioned a few seconds ago: Science is emerging as an open-office naysayer.

“My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Granberry, sat her students around a big communal table where we could all see one another and be supervised,” Kaufman started her article. “There was yelling, commotion and general childlike chaos. The same things happen in an open office — only we’re grown-up professionals with deadlines, personal lives and a basic human need for some privacy.”

Opening salvos aside, Kaufman’s argument follows the privacy line—our minds need a sense of visual and auditory privacy to maintain focus on the task at hand.

The article references a Forbes piece from Dec. 2017 in which contributor Keith Flamer noted that current research shows that open offices reduce productivity by 15% to 28%.

Another side effect of the open office that most people don’t understand is that employees are twice as likely to get sick as their cubicled counterparts.

What’s most interesting about Kaufman’s article isn’t the stats about focus or sickness; it’s her reminder that some Apple employees are unhappy that the company’s new headquarters will use an open-office design.

Her article linked to another Washington Post piece detailing the grumblings of the tech giant’s disgruntled employee.

“Up until now you’ve been used to having your own office space. But the new Apple Park will change all that,” reporter Gene Marks quoted the employee as saying. “The programmers, engineers, developers and other employees who work there will be rubbing elbows with each other over long tables that they’ll be sharing in the company’s new open space environment. And some are not thrilled.”

The news was second-hand, though; the original claims of unhappy employees came from a podcaster and blogger who covers the Apple beat.

The article went on to say that the source noted some Apple employees threatened to leave the company if their offices weren’t suitable.

While those threats may seem a little entitled, we’ve read enough about the benefits of cubicles to know that there’s a lot more on the line than preference.

You Have an Open Office. Now What?

If you’re starting to have second thoughts about your open office, don’t worry. We’re not here to demand that you change the way you organize your workspaces.

Take some time to read through the articles we linked to in this post and decide for yourself if an open office is the right choice for your company.

If you think it’s time for a change, the table-heavy design of an open office can be transitioned into private spaces rather quickly using privacy panels of varying lengths and heights.

Our catalog offers multiple colors, material and styles, all of which can be installed on a desk within minutes. In fact, we’re often able to install desktop privacy panels while employees are working, cutting down on the lost labor that normally results from a full overhaul of an office space.

Head to our Contact Us page to send us an email or give us a call. We’ll talk with you about your space, what you’d like to see happen and how we can accommodate you.

Leadership is desired but rarely acquired.

Our first post in this two-part series shared 10 actionable tips from experts about how you can augment your leadership skills at work. While corresponding with nearly two dozen experts, we discovered that there isn’t a single system for becoming a leader.

Rather, building your reputation as someone who should be followed is a dynamic mixture of many different factors that suit personalities of all types.

Our series continues in this post with 10 more tips you can use to transform yourself from a follower to a leader.

Be a master at your job

Shefali Raina, Leadership and high-performance coach, Alpha Lane Partners

“To be seen as a leader and to inspire trust and respect in others, you first have to be seen as good at your job. Whatever your core job is, focus on being great at it — build subject matter expertise, learn to collaborate and deliver results in your job and build a brand of credibility and competence at what you do.”

Don’t live in a silo

Ilene Marcus, MSW, MPA; Founder, Aligned Workplace

“Leaders don’t only make their department or unit successful, they add to overall company success. As you work on projects or teams and go about your daily business, think about how to include others and make that part of your standard operating procedure.

“Not only will you build a cadre of supporters, you will produce a better outcome for the entire company. Your ability to align work and address multifaceted issues will be noticed.”

Ask to lead meetings

Desiré Greene, Managing partner, Luckett & Liles

“Meetings are essentially mini-projects and a great way to showcase leadership skills. By keeping attendees focused, ensuring all voices are heard, and synthesizing big ideas, you can demonstrate that you’re ready for other leadership roles.

“I’ll never forget the nod of approval from a company exec after leading my first conference call. My facilitation skills instilled confidence and opened the door for future opportunities.”

Write strategically

Genna Ziino, Content coordinator, Ariel

“So much of business today is conducted via email—it’s easy to feel like blasting out emails at the speed of light is the best way to go, but it’s important to remember that someone is reading that email and relying on your answers and expertise.

“Instead of firing away, take some time to strategically plan your writing to be reader-centered, giving your audience exactly what they need as clearly and concisely as possible.

“Work on having specific, clear subject lines; organizing longer emails into sections that make sense and using headlines for ease of skimming; and drawing attention to any action requests or deadlines instead of burying them.

“Crystal clear writing and knowing you’ve put thought into your responses makes people respect you—and also drives productivity.”

Be a morale builder

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew, Founder, Soulstice Consultancy

“Build a network of colleagues from various departments and within your team. Listen to their stories to build trust.

“It isn’t always about being upfront and visible, but when people see that you are committed to step up in the behind-the-scenes work, willing to support them, your leadership shines. Be a morale builder even in the tough times.”

Be curious

Kathy Taberner, Certified executive coach & co-founder of Institute of Curiosity

“When we are curious, we better understand each other and with this clarity comes fewer errors thus increased accurate productivity, engagement and accountability.

“When one person becomes curious, it can lead to collaboration where everyone becomes more open and non-judging which leads to collaboration and innovation, even decreases conflict.

“So, we suggest, employees get curious if you want to be seen as a possible leader.”

Build relationships

Sarah Finch, SarahFinch.com

“Leaders can’t lead if they don’t have followers. Talk to the people in your organization, even if you don’t work with them often. Learn their names and say hello when you see them. Help them out when you can.

In this world of technology as a primary mode of work communication, the value of a face-to-face relationship is high and those seen as leaders are often simply the people others can identify and remember moments and conversations.”

Plan ahead

Jenny Hester, Director of Marketing, LIVE Design

“From calendars to task lists, look ahead to what needs to be addressed and accomplished. Set calendar reminders for both new tasks & recurring events.

“Give yourself deadlines of 3 days or more prior to all official deadlines. When out of the office, anything due in your absence or within a few days of your return should be handled before you leave.”

Stop whining and complaining

Laura Handrick, Career and workplace analyst, Fitsmallbusiness.com

“The fastest way to be seen as a leader in your workplace is to find problems, identify what’s broken, and then develop a plan or recommendations to fix it. In other words, don’t be a complainer about what’s not working. No one likes a complainer.

“Instead, be a solution provider. Most employees will gripe about issues. Leaders take those issues on as challenges and come up with ideas, recommendations and solutions to those problems as if it were their own company/business. They look for ways to improve the business, teamwork, processes and overall profits.”

Manage your emotions

Nancy Cramer, Founder, Correct Course Consulting

“One of the most important steps to becoming a leader is to learn to manage emotions. This does not mean to always be stoic. It means to respond authentically and appropriately to situations as they occur.

“When people are in tough leadership situations, they often let their emotions get the best of them. They let how they feel overwhelm them and cloud their thinking. Mistakes are made. Collateral damage is left.”

Wrapping it up: Take action, Focus on people

Much of what we learned from our experts’ input is that leadership is a matter of initiative and relationships.

Advancement is not for the passive and those who find great success are most satisfied when they achieve their success with people, not against them.

 Link to Part 1