Category : cubicle extenders

Earlier this year we wrote a post about the myth of open office productivity.

As we pointed out, there are several studies that show open offices tend to make employees more distracted and reduce overall productivity.

For our current and future clients, these findings bring up an important question: How do you transition an office from an open concept to cubicles?

The answer to this question may seem formidable but it’s a lot simpler than you think. Open offices utilize desks and those desks can be transitioned from open to private via several different types of extensions, all of which can be installed within minutes to avoid costly labor shutdowns.

Desk & Table Mount Privacy Panels

If your current open office layout includes desks that have absolutely no separation between workspaces, then OBEX desk and table mount privacy panels are the most effective solution for reducing noise pollution and increasing privacy for your employees.

These privacy panels are integrated onto your existing desks with very little effort. Each panel comes with everything needed to install them. The panel clamps fit desk thicknesses between 0.75 inches and 2.75 inches.

Offices with high noise levels are a good fit for acoustical tiles, which come in 25 different styles. These panels are industry-rated to reduce more than 50% of the noise traveling into a workspace.

These panels hit all the key factors in the transition from an open office to a cubicle system: low cost, easy installation and effective sound reduction.

This photo shows you an acoustical tile privacy panel installation:

Desk Split Screens

These types of panels are a great choice if you have a lot of desks in a room and want to provide private work spaces that also serve as modesty screens.

The big advantage over desk and table mount panels is that these panels extend below the desk surface.

Like the desk/table privacy panels, you have multiple options for colors and material, including noise-reducing acoustical panels.

Free-Standing Privacy Panels

The final option we’ll mention here is our free-standing privacy panels. Unlike the previous two choices we mentioned, our free-standing privacy panels don’t bolt down onto a table.

What we like about these is that they come in the same sizes as other panels (24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 60, 66 and 72 inches), offering you mobile privacy for just about any situation.

Another perk to this option is that they’ll come in handy if you have a long-term plan for office reorganization, but want an immediate change from open to cubicles.

These panels meet that short-term need and, when it comes time to reorganize your desks and sections, you simply lift the panels off the old desk and place them on the new ones.

An Overview of What Makes Panel Extenders and Privacy Screens an Excellent Open Office Transition Choice

Making a move from an open-office layout to cubicles doesn’t have to be the fiasco you’re probably envisioning.

Our panel extenders are meant to be an elegant and simple solution to increasing privacy in an office where there’s really no time to shut down operations for rerouting cables, moving desks and installing dozens of heavy, clunky cubicles.

As we mentioned earlier, our panel extenders can be installed in a matter of minutes without disrupting your productivity. Think about it like this: We can install one noise-reducing panel extender in the amount of time it takes for an employee to go to the break room and brew a pot of coffee.

Consider this, too: Our panels come with a 10-year non-transferrable warranty that covers defects in materials and craftsmanship when incurred during normal use.

Our website has an extensive gallery of various types of panel installations that we think will help you visualize how our panels would look in your office.

Our gallery is a good way to view the various style and function combinations we have, too, as our frames and panels employ multiple materials.

Call us at 888-351-4197 or contact us through our website if you would like to learn more about what we have to offer.

It’s a well-known fact that different colors influence mood, behavior and feelings. All colors have a psychological affect on everyone, whether you’re aware of it or not. People also make different decisions and choices based on the color of their immediate environment. The colors you choose for your business help with the behavior of your employees and clients alike.

Color choice should play an important role in decorating an office space in particular, because of the impact it has on employee’s productivity rate, interaction with other co-workers and on the general mood of everyone in the work place. There are different ways to play with color tones and accents to get the effect desired, but there is one steadfast rule to remember when decorating; over-use of any one color has a negative, and sometimes, an opposite effect than what was originally desired. That being said, here are some tips on choosing a color for an office to bring about the most positive working environment for your business:

• Strong, bright colors of any shade will energize, whereas the softer shades of pastel will calm and soothe.
• Blue’s and green’s aid in decision-making, and it’s also good for keeping a calm atmosphere.
• Subdued orange and peach create a warm, welcome feeling; a great choice for lobbies and reception areas, but it can create a chatty feeling in a workplace.
• Too much yellow can cause more anxiety in a stressful workplace, but small amounts can increase productivity.
• Using too much red can cause aggressive type feelings.
• Turquoise creates a creative, communicative atmosphere.
• To balance out the effect of any color, use a color that compliments it, i.e., blue with yellow, red with green, etc.

If you place to upgrade your work place with privacy panels or custom extenders, Obex Panel can help you with any color scheme you choose. From custom panels to the many fabrics and colors that are already in stock, Obex will be happy assist you with choosing the right product to satisfy your needs.

To see how Obex can save you time and money with easy-to-install extenders and panels, please feel free to contact us.

This would be a perfect reason to consider installing a table mount in your office space, or several table mounts, if the area calls for it. Some office spaces are certainly larger than others. There are many benefits to adding table mounts, some of which have already been mentioned. In addition, it is a known fact that when people are working in close quarters, they are going to either become very close friends; or they are going to clash. Either way, it doesn’t make for a good office situation, and in turn, decreases overall productivity. If you become friends with the person you are confined with, there will typically be random conversations that have no business entering the office. It may be talk of what happened last night or what shows are all the rage this season. On the other hand, if you clash; then every little detail that’s overheard could be a cause for scrutiny. What’s worse, this could end up costing one or both of your jobs.

If you feel like us here at OBEX, and you know what great things could come from installing table mounts in your office; contact us for more information. We will be happy to assist you with making your office more productive.

While the definition of poor work performance changes, the causes of the performance gap seem to be universal no matter the industry, company, job description, or typical group of people. Some causal factors of low or high performance are employee – centric issues and others are organization issues. These tend to overlap. Most issues are influenced by both the employee and the organization. For example, if Employee A’s manager asks him why he has only been averaging seventy – five phone calls per hour, he could hear one or both of the following reasons:

Example #1: “I am distracted because my wife is due to have a baby. Every time I hear a phone ring I think it is her calling to tell me that she is going to the hospital.”

Example #2: “My coworkers are bothering me. The one on my left keeps laughing really loud and the one on my right asks me a question every few minutes. I can’t concentrate on my own calls with all of these interruptions.”

The first example is an employee issue. His life at home is leaking into his life at work. In other words his work / life balance is off. The organization can do little to help him. He is in control of how distracted he is or is not. Example #2 is an organization issue. Because of the way the office set up its employees right next to each other, and because of the managers’ ineffectiveness to keep his coworkers quiet and train the rookies, he is distracted by factors he can’t control. Because companies have little to no influence on what is happening in the employees’ life that might cause disruptions, they have to focus on the organization’s factors. Below are the top five causes of poor work performance, specifically ones that companies can cause or allow to happen, and therefore they are the ones that can be fixed.

1. Lack of sound privacy. Every worker is unique. Employee A might be productive when there is loud music in the background. That same music might be distracting and annoying to Employee B. Employee A could train himself to hear his coworkers conversations as simple white noise in the background while Employee B can’t help but listen intently to whatever is being said. Additional noises such as tapping on computer keyboards and squeaking chairs are also big distractions. This cause can be fixed with additional partitions and noise-cancelling headphones.

2. Lack of visual privacy. No employees have reported that they like it when someone is looking over their shoulder. Those who have their desks set up right in their manager’s line of sight say that adds additional, unnecessary stress. Managers typically think that their presence makes employees more productive but the result is the exact opposite. Workers are less likely to play online games and surf social media sites when someone can easily see them, but studies show that does not improve work performance.

3. Lack of personal space / Overcrowding. Open office models typically put four to ten people around one table. They each have their own chair, their own computer, and their own basic office supplies like pens, but nothing else belongs to them. They are literally bumping elbows and they do not have the opportunity to make the space their own. No pictures of their kids and their pets, no calendar with quotes from their favorite comedian or politicians, and no jar of their favorite candy. When an employee feels “at home” at work, he works better. Companies need to give employees the opportunity to personalize their space.

4. Inability to control the environment. An employee who is shivering because he is cold, or sweating because he is hot, is an ineffective worker. The same employees need to be able to adjust the curtains or shades on the windows when the sun is getting in their eyes. He needs a chair that can be adjusted up and down, left and right, and is not different the next day because someone else sat in it after he did.

5. Second – guessing, or excessive mistakes due to poor training. A company’s first priority should be making sure that their employees are well trained. That way they will not be interrupting each other with questions, or doing their own work slowly because they are struggling to remember what to do next or how to do it.

In order to get ideal work from their employees, businesses must create the ideal work environments. This goes beyond ensuring occupational health and safety. It goes beyond making sure that the workplace is clean, beyond having water fountains and bathrooms that work, and beyond managerial accountability. With so little influence over an employee’s ability to balance work and life, work must be the focus. Recently big name companies like Google, Facebook, and Square have been praising the open office model. In order to improve managerial accessibility, transparency, and employees’ opportunities to collaborate, their workspaces have done away with enclosed offices and individual cubicles. They have literally taken the walls down between their employees.

Those same employees agree across the board that the open office model does get them more face – time with their coworkers. However, they also report the following negative consequences of it: lack of sound privacy, lack of visual privacy, overcrowded workspaces and an inability to control their personal space / environment. Only twenty five percent, that is one in four workers in the United States, say that they work in the ideal environment for peak job performance. The causes of poor work performance are not a problem for that twenty percent because they have sound privacy, visual privacy, and their workspaces are not overcrowded. Companies must prioritize and invest in creating these ideal environments not only for their employees but for the business at large.

If you’re opening a new office, or you’re adding new staff to your existing business, you have probably noticed how expensive office furniture is. You know you need to give your employees adequate work space, but adding work space should also be affordable. The truth is, you don’t have to buy a whole new suite of office furniture to provide more space for your employees. With table mount panel extenders, you can create instant cubicles.

Any Table Will Do

You don’t need a special type of table to create a functional cubicle, in fact, any table you have that’s between ¾” and 2″ thick will be just fine. As long as it’s sturdy enough for your staff to do their work on it, you can add a table mount panel extender. Don’t have a spare table? You don’t even have to go out and buy one. Consider renting tables if you only need them temporarily. Table mount panel extenders won’t do any damage to them.

Super Fast Set-Up

Your time is valuable and the last thing that you want to do is spend it putting together furniture. In a matter of minutes, you can install table mount panel extenders then you can get back to work. You won’t need an engineering degree or a giant box of tools to get the job done either. They come with a thumb screw and an allen wrench and that’s all you need. They’re so easy to install that anybody can do it with no trouble at all.

Versatile Configuration

In business, you’ve got to be agile enough to change and your furniture has to be versatile too. Whether you want to use a single table against a wall, or two tables back to back, table mount panel extenders are the answer. You can install one set along the edge of the table, to create a center divider and others to divide the table into work spaces. Even better yet, if you ever want to change the configuration, you can do it nearly instantly.

Temporary Or Permanent

If you only need cubicles for a short amount of time, or if they’ll be a permanent fixture, table mount panel extenders are the solution. Instantly install them for temporary employee testing desks or training centers. Take them down, store them flat in a storage cabinet and pull them out again when they’re needed. Or, just leave them in place and they’ll hold up to daily use for years to come.

Compliments Any Decor

Your business image is incredibly important and the last thing you want is to have furniture that looks like it was haphazardly thrown together. Table mount panel extender frames and panels come in a large variety of colors to perfect match any office décor. You can also choose the material for your panels, from fabric acoustical tiles to polycarbonate and either clear or frosted acrylic.

If you would like more information about table mount panel extenders, please contact us. Our friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions you have. We’ve helped many businesses, just like yours, and we’ll be happy to help you choose the best option for your users.

It might seem like a good idea to have an open floor plan for your office. It’s supposed to make it easier for staff to work together, collaborate and accomplish team-oriented activities. While all of these things may in fact be the case, it’s not always going to work out that way. No matter how much you want to get your staff together, there are some drawbacks to this thinking. Here are five reasons that your office staff needs cubicle panel extenders to be more productive.

1. Focus – It can be downright impossible to completely focus on the task at hand when there are things going on around you. The person in the next cubicle may be one of those people who just can’t sit still so they’re up and down a lot during the day. That kind of distraction, even if it’s for a moment takes the focus off the work and makes it harder to get back on track. With just a little separation, the distractions are minimized, making it far easier to pay attention and get some work done.
2. Noise – Some of your staff members talk a bit loud when they’re on the phone with clients. Their jovial personalities and quick jokes keep business flowing in, but it can be disruptive to those around them. Others seem to bang on the keyboard at an unrelenting pace that causes others to become irritated and distracted. Cubicle panel extenders help to buffer the sounds coming from the surrounding area and create a quiet space where others can get work done.
3. Privacy – Even though working in an office full of people, by its very nature, isn’t all that private, it’s still important. This is especially the case when clients and customers have access to the cubicles of employees. Conversations about accounts, personal information and purchasing decisions are easier to have when one does not feel like they are under observation. Panel extenders help to create a sense of privacy and make a cubicle feel like a separate office.
4. Temporary – Your business is constantly growing and evolving and your employee’s needs do the same. At times, your people need more privacy, and at other times, they need more access to one another. One of the best things about cubicle panel extenders is that they are not a permanent fixture. In fact, you can easily install and dismantle them at your leisure, which means you can have a more dynamic and adaptable work space.
5. Attractive – Let’s face it, working in a dull, boring space is less than inspiring, even for the most motivated individuals. When your office is outfitted with cubicle panel extenders that are created using custom colors, fabrics and frames, it adds some pizzazz to the space. It may seem like a small thing, but the color, texture and quality of our surroundings has a major impact on motivation, creativity and productivity.

Keeping your staff comfortable will help to assure that they continue to be productive and happy working for you. Creating a space that allows them the flexibility to work with others or solo is one of the best ways to do this. Contact us to learn more about the benefits of cubicle panel extenders and we’ll be happy to lend a hand.

Over the past ten years, open-plan offices have become the norm. For companies, it makes sense since they can put more employees in a smaller amount of space. Open spaces also give ample opportunity for employees to collaborate. Despite these benefits to the organization, employees are not always pleased with them. Their complaints include decreased privacy, increased noise and visual distractions. Employers can mitigate some of these issues by installing office panel extenders. Here are some ways that they’ll make your employees happier and more productive.

Privacy Issues

For employees, one of the biggest issues with an open-plan office is the lack of privacy. Conversations can easily be overheard, making it difficult to focus. It’s not just the people right next door that can be heard either, it’s every worker in the area. It is difficult for introverted people to speak to a client, co-worker or supervisor in these situations. This is important to note because one-half to one-third of the workforce falls within this category of personality types. By minimizing the external noise from co-workers, these employees can focus on their work and are, therefore, more effective.

Productivity Issues

When employees are distracted by those around them, whether it’s because of talking or because of movement, their productivity naturally decreases. Any business owner or manager will easily recognize what that can do to the bottom line. According to researchers, a happy employee is more productive. Small things like giving praise, an occasional sweet treat and, yes, creating more private spaces can increase happiness. It’s a win-win situation for employees and employers.

Problem Solving

Although it may not be possible for most companies to return to the days when private offices were dominant, there are some ways to reduce the issues. Creating private spaces that workers can use for at least part of their work day is one option. These spaces can be shared by employees, giving each a set amount of time to work in privacy before returning to their cubicle. Another option would be to install office panel extenders with sound-deadening fabrics to help minimize the external sounds and other distractions.

If your employees are not happy and productive, it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to find solutions to the problem. We understand how important these issues are to you and your success. Contact us for more information about office panel extenders and how they can help create a quieter, more productive workplace for all.