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The job market is brimming with opportunities.

To convert those chances, you’re going to have to change the way you approach how you present yourself in all aspects of your life, from social media to the way you dress to what you do for professional development.

In our first post in this two-part series on making yourself a valuable hire, we covered a good mix of tips, including committing to networking, uploading a video resume to your LinkedIn page and doing a social media audit of your accounts.

This second and final installment of the series covers a few more bits of expert advice for increasing your hire value.

#1 Use Your Interview to Talk About the Value of Your Past Contributions

If you’re lucky enough to get an interview for an open position, you need to go into the interview with a plan. If that plan lacks communication of how your previous initiatives and ideas positively impacted your companies, you might miss out on a chance to put yourself ahead of other candidates.

Nicole Littmann, founder of Aurelian Coaching, said you have the responsibility of not merely talking about what you’ve done, but how what you’ve done reverberated throughout your previous company or companies.

“Don’t just talk about what you did. Talk about the impact it had. This goes for both your resume and your interviews,” Littmann said. “Because you did what you did, the team was able to avoid a bad outcome, or the process was consistently and reliably executed, or your manager was able to make an
informed decision.”

#2 Get Extra Training Outside the Workplace for Skills You Can Use Inside the Workplace

Because the job market is thriving, there are great positions to be had. And, as a result, you’ll face some tough competition from candidates who may have identical experience and education. Yes, you can set yourself apart during your meet-and-greet and interview.

However, you need to go beyond that in order to make yourself stand out, says Whitney Joy Smith, president of Smith Training Centre in Ontario, Canada. Affordable online classes are one of the easiest ways to do that.

“You need to have experience with a variety of different fields and gain multiple skills to stand out from other applicants. The easiest way to do so is with online classes,” Smith said. “They aren’t typically too expensive and you can do them at your own pace. Think of the skills that would be an added bonus for the job you want and take a course on it.”

Udemy is a great place to start. It’s a substantial collection of online courses that can cost as little as $10.99

#3 Leverage Your LinkedIn Connections

As we mentioned in the first post of this series, LinkedIn is a non-negotiable for your quest to make connections, network and find the right job openings.

Donna Svei, a resume expert, consultant and founder of Avid Careerist, recommends using LinkedIn as a way to connect with people who already work where you want to get hired.

“Figure out who you know who already works for your target employer. LinkedIn is great for this,” Svei said. “If you strike out, look for second level connections.”

How do you go about working that connection without sounding like you’re spamming them for a job?

Here’s how Svei suggests you proceed:

“Reach out, explain your interest in the company, and ask for an introduction to the person who heads your area of interest. Studies have shown that employers prefer referred candidates over all others.”

We also heard this advice from Apochromatik’s Amy Gardner, who said you’ve got to work those connections on LinkedIn if you want to increase your chances of an interview.

“Having a personal connection is generally the best way to increase your odds of an interview and eventually the position, but you need to start with your online presence first,” Gardner said.

#4 Clean Up Your LinkedIn Profile

We’ve mentioned LinkedIn a few times in our posts, and for good reason. It’s the preeminent networking site for professionals.

And, Gardner says, it’s for this very reason that you need to make sure your profile is up-to-date with relevant positions, projects and skills. Here are a few updates you can make in a matter of minutes, Gardner said:

• Make sure your profile photo is updated
• Verify your employment history is congruent with your resume
• Add recent honors, published articles or videos you’ve been in
• Ask your coworkers for skill endorsements and to write a recommendation

 

Ways You Can Make Yourself More Hireable: Part 1

The economy is alive and well in America.

The unemployment rate is low and the stock market is high. However, that doesn’t mean that every qualified professional has a job and it doesn’t mean that everyone is happy where they’re are at.

There’s no time like the present to hone your skills, build your resume and make yourself marketable for your next job, whether it’s the ideal position or a temporary gig to tide you over until you find your dream job.

This post is the first of a two-part series covering practical ways that you can boost your market value.

#1 Commit to Volunteering

It’s hard for a hiring manager not to like the fact that you sacrifice your time for a cause you believe in. It exhibits selflessness and commitment volunteer work is often devoid of glamorous trappings.

Gene Caballero, founder of Uber-style lawn service GreenPal, says the benefits of volunteering go beyond the satisfaction that comes from giving your time and energy.

“This can have positive effects on the growing of your network and also looks great on a resume,” Caballero said. “Since these are normally free gigs, you can be selective and volunteer in the vertical of your degree, the industry that you want to pursue, or for a cause that you feel strongly about.”

#2 Expand Your Network

You might bemoan networking for all the small talk, elevator pitches and cocktails it requires but it’s worth it, said growth marketer and social strategist Crystal McFerran.

LinkedIn is the de facto place to start. Find groups related to your professional expertise and interest. Participate in discussions. In most cases, the more valuable the insight you offer with your comments, the higher the chance that fellow professionals will look at your profile.

Don’t be afraid to join face-to-face professional networks in your area, either. Do a quick Google search for groups that meet near you, or head to Reddit to ask for tips on professional/networking groups that are worth your time.

#3 Post a Video on Your LinkedIn Page

McFerran was looking for new opportunities when we created this post. One of the key choices she made to increase her hireability was creating a video for her LinkedIn page.

The video detailed her qualifications and which types of jobs she was looking for. It also included a call to action in which she asked interested employers to send her a message. The video was brief: 44 seconds.

“Step outside your comfort zone and post a video on LinkedIn! Most resumes are never viewed, so this provides a great opportunity to leverage your network,” she said. “Share a very brief overview of what you’re looking for. I’ve been on both sides – a recruiter and a job seeker –and I can tell you, nothing I’ve ever done has been more effective than this.”

At the time of publishing, LinkedIn users viewed the video more than 330,000 times and left more than 90 comments, many of which included, McFerran said, “introductions, interviews and offers.”

#4 Clean Up Your Social Media

Yes, your future employer is going to look at your social media accounts to get a sense of who you are outside of their interactions with you.

Dana Case, director of operations at MyCorporation, recommends doing a sweep of your social media and deleting any questionable material that might make your employer question your professionalism or self-control.

“Conduct a social media audit. Delete posts that show you in a less than flattering light: i.e. swearing, getting extremely drunk, anything that could be looked at as inappropriate or controversial,” Case said.

#5 Clean Up Your Appearance

One thing you might not anticipate is that your body and your style have changed since last time you went through rounds of job interviews.

What was acceptable for professionals back then may no longer be acceptable. And, trends and styles aside, you can never go wrong with a clean-cut appearance, Case told us.

So, go through your wardrobe and figure out what you need to refresh. Head to the salon or barbershop and get cleaned up.

“Invest in a great interview outfit and shoes,” Case said. “Groom yourself. Your dream interview could be tomorrow, and you might be overdue for a hair trim or getting your nails done!”

Part Two: More Advice for Making Yourself a More Polished Hire

In the second post in this series, we continue with more tips about what you can do to increase your chances of getting hired. Click here to read more.

Most of us want to be leaders but few of us have created a path to meet that goal.

According to a 2017 article from Infopro Learning, 83% of organizations believe it’s important for them to develop leaders at all levels in the workplace, but only 5% actually have a plan to accomplish it.

With leadership development so absent from the workplace, employees are left to their own devices as they try to rise through the ranks. Those with strong personalities have an easier time navigating competition and success.

However, all of us can apply at least one or two habits or mindsets to our daily work life that can help us become leaders.

We reached out to workplace professionals across the country to find 20 tips for becoming a leader at work. In this post, we’ve included the first 10.

Run toward the fire

Chris Ebmeyer, Managing director, Crossmedia

“Many times, when a problem arises in the office with a client, account, project, etc.; people have a tendency to run the other way.

“True leaders ‘run towards the fire’ and jump in to help solve the problem, not the other way around. When employees put themselves in uncomfortable, tough positions, many times not of their own making, they show true leadership characteristics.”

Make your colleagues’ successes known

Erin Halper, Founder, The Upside

“To become a leader in an organization, it’s important to highlight others’ achievements, even more than your own. True leaders recognize that milestones and wins are a group effort, and never the result of one person’s work, especially their own.”

Don’t be afraid to be competitive

Greg Spillane, CEO, Reachify

“Having people on your team who are competitive, who can work within a team environment, and who understand the importance of hard work can give you a heads up in business. To succeed in a competitive world, you have to be relentless in your desire to win.”

Document your wins and your goals

Arlena Jackson, Founder, Elevation Ally

“Your manager is your biggest supporter. When you win, your manager wins. Make certain he or she always knows your top three accomplishments for the week and your top three priorities for the upcoming week. This can be delivered by way of email each Friday morning.”

Develop your presence

Genna Ziino, Content coordinator, Ariel

“Presence is the ability to connect authentically with others in order to motivate and inspire them. This skill can be used for large audiences or one-on-one, and it’s something you can work on daily through small things like listening sincerely and showing up fully in the things you do.

“Having these skills helps people to trust you, builds relationships and makes your audience tune in to your message above others.”

Become an office thought leader

Desiré Greene, Managing partner, Luckett & Liles

“Sharing industry knowledge and having a point of view will strengthen your professional brand. It also helps you think strategically.

“By understanding the larger picture, you can make better suggestions and contribute to executive-level discussions. So, while everyone else is checking Instagram, read an industry article. You’ll be surprised by the results.”

Know your department and company key performance indicators

Ilene Marcus, MSW, MPA; Founder, Aligned Workplace

“As a boss, I always follow the data.  Usually, all roads lead to one person over and over again.  Be that person.  Know the reports, the data, the numbers (how they are created and what impacts them); this makes you indispensable.

“Believe me; as the boss, you are keenly aware of your KPIs, so if you want to be a leader, be keenly aware of your KPIs (metrics).”

Be the first to volunteer

Thomas Harris, Co-owner, The Exceptional Skills

“You’ve probably seen it a hundred times. Someone asks a question for a response or asks for a volunteer, and no one raises their hand. Then eventually one person does, then everyone else starts to follow.

“Everyone is afraid to be first. They are followers. Don’t be that person. Be the person who stands up first, volunteers, answers questions, shares input, and get things done.”

Be clear on the end game

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

“In any situation or context, or for any project at work, get clear on what the end game is, what the goals are and what matters most. People are seen as leaders when they have clarity on vision and goals and are able to communicate that clarity to others.

“When you are clear on what matters most, you will be able to help the team focus their energy and attention to the most important aspects and avoid unproductive and ineffective distractions and people will look to you to resonate with the big picture vision.”

Self-start your professional development

Jenny Hester, Director of marketing, LIVE Design

“Attend free seminars, lunch & learns, etc. These usually end up being extremely useful, full of info and provide great networking opportunities. Show your boss you care about your career, want to learn more, at little or no cost to them.”

Link to Part 2

In our first post about standing out in the workplace, we talked with a series of experts about what it takes to boost your value in a genuine, legitimate way.

The advice we received was on point. Self-evaluation is a key component to increasing your value; know where you’re weak and hone those areas until they become assets.

Offer to take on a few extra responsibilities and, at the same time, offer your help in situations where a colleague may be too afraid to ask for it. Another tip for private contractors – build your brand through a systematic leveraging of your expertise.

However, helping yourself stand out isn’t limited to these four tips. We received an overwhelming response from HR reps, career coaches and other professionals who had plenty to say about how you can increase your profile the right way.

Be Confident, Even When You’re Not

Confidence issues plague most employees at one time or another, whether they’re starting a new job or their first career.

There tends to be a mindset in which you think everyone around you knows you’re a fraud and is waiting for you to fail.

Matthew Kerr, a career adviser and hiring manager at Resume Genius, says sometimes you have to employ the time-tested “fake-it-’til-you-make-it” mentality.

“This old adage can be surprisingly effective when properly utilized. Rather than stressing yourself out wondering how you can become confident at work, pretend that you are,” Kerr said. “Adopt a mantle of confidence and exude it in everything you do. Confidence in the workplace is by far and wide the easiest and most effective way to stand out.”

Offer Your Input at the Right Time

Your ideas will only speak for themselves if you tell other people about them. Utilize planning and strategizing sessions to share your ideas, Kerr said.

Confidence plays a key role here; without it, you’ll be too timid to pitch your idea. Are you an expert in an area in which your managers are seeking input? Then pitch with confidence. There’s no shame in standing by your experience, even if it means offering up a divergent opinion.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to voice your opinions or ideas when they go against the grain – but that’s one of the best ways to stand out,” Kerr said. “Even if your idea isn’t used, you will create a new discussion and perhaps be the source of solutions that otherwise might have been overlooked.”

If you can’t muster up the fortitude to present in front of a group, do a one-on-one with a supervisor behind closed doors, Kerr said.

Know Why You’re Doing Something Instead of Just Doing It

It’s easier to listen to instructions and do them without putting thought to the reason behind the ask.

While this certainly makes life easy in the short-term, it can lead to disillusionment if you aren’t careful. Three or four years down the road you’ll get tired of robotic obedience and you’ll be left with frustration instead of satisfaction.

Jennifer Braganza, founder of training and leadership firm Exponential Success, said you can impress your bosses if you show you’re just as interested in the “why” as you are in the “how”.

“It will allow you to produce a better product if you understand what is trying to be achieved,” Braganza said. “Sometimes people don’t know what they really want.  If you ask the right questions, you can actually help them figure it out and avoid the rework of doing things over and over again.”

The key here is that you’re asking “why” because you want to see and grasp the bigger picture, not because you want to challenge whether you should do the task or project.

Don’t Like Your Job? Exercise Situational Awareness

Career coach Sara Young Wang says the ideal way to stand out at your place of employment is to do what you love.

However, we all know many of us are not in the positions we’ve dreamed of being in. So, Wang said, take a moment to think about how your dissatisfaction is reflected in the way you act throughout the day. These moment-by-moment micro-cues could be holding you back and deterring your ability to stand out.

“Developing more mindfulness of how you respond to requests, how you take feedback/criticism, how you interact with colleagues/bosses in times of stress, etc., allows you to perform your job from a calmer, clearer and more grounded place,” Wang said. “You can stand out as someone who is mature, thoughtful, receptive to feedback/learning and an employee who can be trusted to represent the company. This can contribute to a high potential for promotion.”

 

Part 1

Call us crazy, but there are times when we watch our favorite shows and think, “that office could’ve really used some panel extenders.”

It’s not that we’re truly concerned about the productivity and focus of the characters themselves, but more so our preoccupation with proper office design and the manifold benefits of panel extenders that go beyond the basics.

That’s not to say that cubicles don’t interest us … we’re more than aware of them when we watch the king of all workplace movies, Office Space.

However, we’re in the business of offering an easy-to-use, effective alternative to cubicles that provides the sound and sight privacy your team needs to excel while still feeling part of a work community.

In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of three famous Hollywood workplaces that either used panel extenders well or definitely could have used them.

The Office: A Tale of Two Styles

Americans across the country were left both joyful and distraught when the nine-season run of The Office came to a close.

Many of us felt like we were a part of the Dunder Mifflin team, working right alongside Dwight, Jim, Pam and the gang.

But did you ever consider how their office layout actually reflects real office life?

Take Jim and Dwight, for example. The two co-workers were constantly immersed in a battle to annoy and distract each other. Their mischief was made easy by the fact that their desks were perpendicular to each other and no barriers existed in between them.

We find this interesting if, for nothing else, the fact that both Jim and Dwight were salesmen and sales calls should be afforded a certain amount of sound privacy. The solution: panel extenders.

The lack of panel extenders goes beyond just Jim and Dwight, though. The other section of salesmen included three desks with no privacy panels or panel extenders.

What results is a chaotic work environment that makes for great TV but for poor productivity.

What’s interesting, though, is that there is a glass partition/panel that separates two of the three desks in accounting. Famed accountants Angela and Kevin have sound privacy because of the panel but they lack visual privacy.

This is a sensible solution for accounting because of the subject matter being discussed in that department – accounts, invoices, etc.

But, Oscar, the third accountant in the bunch whose desk sits perpendicular to both Angela and Kevin, has absolutely no sound or visual privacy.

Obviously, The Office’s workplace layout had just as much to do with opening up the space for camera work – the more barriers, the poorer the lines of sight. However, we think it accurately reflects how many offices handle privacy.

Halt and Catch Fire: As Open as Open Offices Can Be

This AMC drama focused on the rise of personal computing and the internet. The show is anchored in the rise of a startup named Mutiny. According to the fictional account, the company launched wildly popular video games, was crucial in the emergence of online gaming and is responsible for the popularity of chat rooms and Craigslist/Letgo-style online transactions.

Their offices were based in San Francisco in a cavernous brick building with a completely open floor plan. No panel extenders. No cubicles. Just dozens of computer terminals dotted on desk clumps.

The scene in Mutiny’s offices was often chaotic. Coders were hammering away at keyboards, answering phone calls and shouting across the room to their colleagues.

These scenes reveal what we consider the biggest downfall of open offices: lack of privacy. The brain needs a certain level of security to provide maximum focus and production. Mutiny, like any number of modern startups, lacked both.

The solution could’ve been simple: panel extenders. Installation takes about five minutes and doesn’t impede workflow; nobody has to leave their desk and wires and cables don’t have to be unplugged.

From Hollywood to Your Office: Simple Privacy Solutions

OBEX panel extenders provide a simple, effective solution for audio and visual distractions that plague the workplace.

You can learn more about the products we offer by heading to the Products section of our website, where we feature panels and extenders that attach to existing desks or cubicle walls as well as modesty panels.

We’ve talked at length about some of the myths behind open offices. Namely, the concept that employees are more productive and creative in an open workspace.

What we’ve learned through experience and research is that the human mind needs some level of privacy – with both sound and sight – to feel safe and focus on work.

We aren’t alone in this conclusion. Here’s a snippet from an article by The New Yorker that examined prevailing research on the brain and privacy:

“Psychologically, the repercussions of open offices are relatively straightforward. Physical barriers have been closely linked to psychological privacy, and a sense of privacy boosts job performance. Open offices also remove an element of control, which can lead to feelings of helplessness.”

“Feelings of helplessness” isn’t really what you imagined as the impact of an open office, right?

So, when we saw a recent article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) about coffee shops being more beneficial for employees than open offices, we weren’t surprised. We were, however, quite interested in what the article had to say.

 You Work Better with Coffee Shop Noise Than You Do with Office Noise

Citing a few different studies, HBR said that researchers have discovered that background noise isn’t always a detriment. In fact, the source of the background noise is the determining factor in whether you’re distracted by the steady hum of conversation.

“In fact, some level of office banter in the background might actually benefit our ability to do creative tasks, provided we don’t get drawn into the conversation,” contributor David Burkus wrote. “Instead of total silence, the ideal work environment for creative work has a little bit of background noise. That’s why you might focus really well in a noisy coffee shop, but barely be able to concentrate in a noisy office.”

Burkus also explored the idea that familiarity can be distracting; you know the people in your office, but the people in the coffee shop? Not so much.

Hearing familiar voices and the names of people you know in a nearby conversation grab your attention. Even face-to-face conversations can derail your creative process and keep you distracted.

“The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations or from being interrupted while we’re trying to focus,” Burkus wrote. “Face-to-face interactions, conversations and other disruptions negatively affect the creative process. By contrast, a co-working space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of ambient noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.”

Is it the Familiarity That Hampers you, or the Frustration?

HBR’s conclusions are pretty solid. We do better at coffee shops and co-work spaces because we can’t really get drawn into conversations as we probably don’t know who’s doing the talking.

In the office, it’s different. You know the voices, the stories and the people or incidents inspiring the banter.

However, says Inc.com Contributing Editor Geoffrey James, it may not be the familiarity you have with your co-workers, but the contempt you have for them that distracts you.

In an article in which he discusses the HBR article, James says you probably get distracted with the background banter because someone’s flaws are bubbling up amid the back-and-forth.

“In short, it’s not the noise that makes an open-plan office such a miserable place to work – it’s the inability to escape the proximity of the petty and annoying behaviors of your co-workers,” James wrote.

OBEX Panel Extenders Dampen Noise

Another aspect of the HBR article we found interesting was that we work best when there’s just enough background noise to let our minds wander to creative places, but not complete silence.

And that’s where our panel extenders come in to play. The products we offer install easily, look great and get the job done.

Our panels have NRC and STC ratings (industry ratings for noise reduction) that significantly reduce the noise in each cubicle without eliminating it.

If noise is a problem in your office and you don’t have the time or resources to do a complete overhaul of your current desk systems, stop by our website to learn about the solutions we have.

Our panel extenders can be used in a variety of ways, come in multiple colors and materials, have three heights and eight widths and carry a 10-year warranty.

There’s a perception that Millennials have stormed into the office design world and demanded ping-pong tables, snack fridges, bean bag chairs and a litany of other office items once deemed too juvenile for the traditional office.

While some of those perceptions may be true, the fact is that the open office concept and the emphasis on comfort started at least 15 years ago with industry leaders like Google and Facebook.

What we find most interesting about the influence of Millennials on office spaces aren’t the stereotypes we read, but the hard facts about what’s actually changed because of their preferences.

To figure that out, we’ve combed through some research from leading business sites and found some very interesting observations.

A Renaissance of Thoughtfully Designed Furniture

In a May 2017 article in Forbes, contributor Sarah Landrum brought up an interesting dichotomy. Lucy Lyle, founder of furniture design company Perch, has started a line of thoughtfully designed office furniture that was, in part, launched specifically because of her dissatisfaction with Google’s influence over office design.

“If you want a pretty clear idea of how fast everything moves when millennials get involved, get a load of the contempt Perch founder Lucy Lyle has for Google and its decorating sensibilities,” Landrum wrote. “It feels like just last week Google was being held up as the gold standard for quirky, welcoming, happiness-improving, stuffiness-reducing, millennial-led design in the workplace.”

Rather than going for minimalist design, Perch focuses on creating beautiful pieces that function well, which is really no different than the original design for the office cubicle and the concept behind Herman Miller’s incredible office chairs.

That desire to merge anew the realms of form and function has created, Landrum said, a renaissance of office design.

“You might not be sold on standing desks just yet, but they’re probably the most visible example of this push toward ergonomically sensible and aesthetically attractive office design,” she wrote. “Turns out you can have it all.”

Movement is Making Office Life More Creative

Perhaps the biggest office news in 2017 is the forthcoming opening of Apple’s new headquarters in Cupertino. The company’s building has been likened to a spaceship; it’s a massive ring with a tree-speckled natural environment inside the ring.

One of the keys to their new headquarters and office life is the concept of movement, says Inc. contributor Jonas Altman. Rockstar Apple designer Jony Ive is behind the push for motion, carrying on an idea that he and Steve Jobs started.

“And what’s the chief emphasis for their vision? Movement. Whether it’s the quarter-mile hike to the office from the parking lot or climbing any of the four flights of stairs in the elevator-less ‘Infinite Loop’ – employees will be in perpetual motion,” Altman wrote.

What’s interesting about this setup is that it literally forces employees to think outside the box, and that decision is smart, according to research.

A team of scientists from Singapore Management University conducted a study in which they asked participants to solve word problems while sitting in a literal box. They then asked the same people to solve the same problems outside the box.

“Compared to those inside the makeshift box, those on the outside generated more correct answers, suggesting that the physical experience fostered creative thinking,” Huffington Post contributor Wray Herbert wrote.

A Few Final Observations About Modern Office Trends

It’s easy to get caught up in the most progressive, unique movements within office design. For many years, that movement was the open office concept. Its proponents hailed it as the ultimate way to encourage openness and collaboration for Millennials who value both.

As we’ve found in our own research, open office spaces aren’t the savior of productivity everyone thought they were. In fact, recent studies show that a lack of privacy leads to increased anxiety – each of us needs a certain level of autonomy to excel.

In terms of how you handle your desk spaces, consider this: Privacy screens and cubicle shields afford you the ability to modify your workplace on the fly, according to the needs of your employees.

Stop by our website to learn more about our products, which can help turn your workplace into a haven of productivity.

In case you haven’t noticed, open offices have dominated the American workplace recently.

In fact, one article from the BBC estimates that about 70% of American workplaces feature an open office concept. With that in mind, you might think it’s a little odd that we’re in the business of selling desk privacy panels and dividers.

Here’s the truth: American companies have seriously overplayed their hand when it comes to the open office movement. There’s an assumption that bringing down walls and removing private areas will promote the free flow of ideas.

In many ways, the open concept is a reflection of our society in general – the postmodern era not only brought down the rigid walls of modernism, but it also ushered out the popularity of walled cubicles and workspaces.

Open Offices Haven’t Increased Across-the-Board Productivity

Quoting a study by design firm Gensler, the BBC noted that “more than two-thirds of US employees are unhappy with noise levels at work.

“Already, workplace performance has dropped 6% since 2008, driven largely by the inability to focus,” the article read.

While the productivity decrease may have more to do with the onset of social media and fantasy sports, we do know that the overhaul of traditional workspaces doesn’t seem to be providing the results most offices hoped for.

We’re Starting to See Why Divider Panels Are Actually a Good Thing

History is like a pendulum swinging back and forth.

For a time, the pendulum of office design was madly charging away from walls and toward an open concept. That trend reached its apex around 2014 and 2015, and while it’s still the darling of office design, the pendulum is starting to swing the other way.

Take Microsoft, for example. In a 2015 article from the BBC, Pankaj Arora, a member of Microsoft’s Modern IT Innovation Group, said that there’s no question a private workspace increases productivity.

Before his team launched, they talked about the kind of office they wanted. They pondered the open concept but eventually decided against it.

“It was important to be able to hunker down and focus behind closed doors, but be in close proximity to each other so we could collaborate,” Arora told the BBC. “We never see the doors as barriers to communication, just as barriers to noise.”

Their solution was an elegant one. All cubicles had high walls to deaden sound and create privacy. Their office was a rectangle shape with cubicles lined up on the long sides of the rectangle, facing the wall.

If there were questions or collaboration was needed, all they had to do is push their chairs out from their desk and enter the common space between the two rows of cubicles. Arora’s team called it the “hallway of knowledge.”

Divider Panels Provide an Effective Middle Ground

There’s a big reason why the open office concept hasn’t led to more productivity – humans crave a certain level of privacy.

Psychologically speaking, having your own space gives your mind the spatial security it needs to think freely, be creative and focus on the task at hand.

Divider panels provide that space. What’s great about them in relation to the modern area of office spaces is that our desk-mounted panels can literally turn an open office space into a semi-private work area overnight.

Installing divider panels onto desks requires basic hardware and about 10-15 minutes. Businesses don’t have to worry about shutting down office operations or moving equipment out and back into their workspace. In many cases, our desk divider panels can be installed while people are working.

It’s not just about ease, though. The sound and visual privacy our divider panels provide give your employees the autonomy they crave and, as a result, their productivity will go up.

OBEX Divider Panels

Not only do our divider panels attach to desks that don’t currently have any walls or floor dividers, but they also easily attach to existing walls between cubicles.

Stop by our Products page and take a look at the various options we provide.

What an executive’s desk should look like is all a matter of where you work and who you work with.

If you’re a Fortune 500 accounting firm and you’ve got a C-level job, then there’s a good chance you’re going to go with something big, powerful and measured. A modern, dark wood behemoth with brushed nickel accents is a legitimate possibility.

However, if you’re a C-leveler at an emerging tech company, you’ll probably shy away from the bruising desk and cherry-wood swivel chair and push for a minimalist desk and a Herman Miller Aeron. The goal is function over form, pragmatism over elitism.

The overriding principle here is that your executive desk says something about your style of leadership and your personality as well as the personality of the company.

“As the boss, your office isn’t just an extension of you; it’s an extension of your company. A message is sent and received the moment someone walks in,” Shari Alexander wrote in a 2014 article for Entrepreneur.

Therefore, choosing what goes in your office is an important decision with several crucial implications.

Executive Furniture Can Be a Weapon…

For the longest time, the executive desk had one purpose: to express, in wooden form, the extent of your power. The bigger the desk, the higher the pay and the greater the influence.

Within that context of power expression, there’s also the nuanced use of the executive desk to gain the upper hand during interactions with an employee or a client.

In other words, the executive desk can be your way of making somebody feel small simply by how far away they sit from you and how high their chair is.

Not lost on this discussion is the old caricature of a subordinate sitting in an almost comically-low chair, peering over the edge of a massive wooden desk in hopes that their boss will spare them excessive punishment.

Alexander said it well when she described some executive offices as an interrogation room.

“This simple set-up creates a subtle psychological dynamic between interrogator and suspect. The suspect is stuck in one place while the interrogator can freely move around the room. Similar to a throne, the interrogator sits higher than the suspect,” Alexander wrote.

 

…Or It Can Be a Welcoming Environment

On the other hand, an executive desk and the peripheral furniture can help build connections between the executive and employees, clients and colleagues.

If you feel like you’ve accidentally turned your office into an interrogation room, you’re not a lost cause. There are simple things you can do to improve the feel of your office.

Alexander points out that adding a round table and a few chairs can, as a place where you can carry on a more intimate conversation, enhance the communal feel of your office without sacrificing your positional authority.

“Use those sections of your space for more personable or difficult conversations,” Alexander wrote.

Be Mindful of How Much You Emphasize Your Accolades

In the vein of old-school thinking about executive offices, many C-level bosses adorn a cabinet or a wall with their accomplishments, achievements and recognitions. This type of environment can make a visitor feel intimidated or insignificant and really isn’t necessary.

Choosing Your Furniture Wisely

Put some time into thinking about your furniture in more comprehensive terms than just, “What looks most powerful and reflects my position most accurately?”

The best office furniture providers in San Diego should provide you with a multitude of executive furniture choices that provide a middle ground between a welcoming environment and one that still gives a nod to your status as executive management.

Also, don’t be afraid to use color when selecting your desk.

According to a post from Founder’s Guide, orange is a creativity-associated hue while blue exudes a sense of tranquility and peace.

Just remember, though, the end goal is bigger than design and color.

“Don’t choose furniture just because you like its color or design. You have to choose one that goes with your brand or your office personality,” Founder’s Guide wrote. “Your office furniture must transcend the aesthetic and comfort value it provides; it must also reflect your company’s identity and culture.”

One of the questions we often get is how cubicle shields and divider panels are different and if one is better than the other.

Our initial response is that they’re different and which one you choose should be based on your office’s needs, what you’re trying to accomplish in your workspace and what your budget is.

But, there are more intricacies involved than just those general ideas. Exploring each of those topics – needs, goals and budget – will help you get a sense of whether a cubicle shield or a divider panel is best.

Cubicle Shield vs. Divider Panels: Your Office Space’s Needs

Take a minute to think about how your office is running right now and what each team member needs. Do you run a call center where space is limited and moderate sound reduction is needed? Are your employees handling sensitive information that requires premium noise reduction between cubicles?

We find that many offices are designed with space in mind but, in some cases, visual and auditory privacy is either forgotten or neglected. This is a mistake we often see and it’s easily remedied with cubicle shields or divider panels.

In situations where you need sound privacy and you have desks with existing low walls around them, cubicle shields are a good choice because you can easily attach them to the existing walls to add height around the cubicle and deaden sound.

If your office has more of an open feel and there aren’t walls around each employee’s tables, then a desk-mounted divider panel can provide a huge privacy boost and, as we’ve pointed out before, increased privacy leads to increased productivity.

Cubicle Shield vs. Divider Panels: What Do You Want to Accomplish With Your Workspace?

Many of our clients want to create a workspace with increased productivity and privacy. These topics go hand-in-hand because, as we mentioned in the previous section, studies are clear that privacy is a human need and that workers thrive when they feel like they have a certain level of autonomy.

We also know that traditional workplaces have a desire to modernize and, in this era of office design, open concepts are easily the most popular trend.

A lot of businesses hear the phrase “open floor plan” and automatically think of bean-bag chairs and free-form work areas with standing desks and community tables.

We believe that an open concept can be achieved with cubicle shields and divider panels because both are designed to offer enough auditory and visual privacy without disrupting workplace community.

Cubicle shields and divider panels provide a functional, effective middle ground between head-high cubicle walls and wall-less open workspaces.

Cubicle Shields vs. Divider Panels: The Cost Factor

One of the things that’s most appealing about cubicle shields and divider panels is that they’re affordable and effective.

Prices tend to vary most when you’re deciding between panels that provide visual privacy and ones that provide audio privacy.

Our fabric-covered sound-reducing panels are different than our other shields and dividers because they contain STC- and NRC-rated materials that absorb sound and prevent it from moving from one cubicle to another.

While the performance of our cubicle shields and dividers is among the best, our price points remain reasonable, making both options a good choice for your office.

Wrapping It Up: An Overview of Cubicle Shields and Divider Panels

Your office’s cubicles are an important part of how productive your team will be. The thought you put into your shields and dividers will either mesh or clash with your employees’ needs and your own vision for how you want your workplace to function.

Head to our Contact Us page to send us an email or give us a call. We’re happy to talk with you about what you want out of your office and how our products can provide a simple, cost-effective solution.