Category : workplace privacy

Do you wish you had a superhero standing by to guard your cubicle from pesky coworkers? Perhaps you could just use a superhero’s cape. That’s what the CoworkerBGone cubicle door looked like. The “Eco-fi” cape was basically a rod with a piece of black fabric hanging from it and a bracket to attach the hinged rod to a cubicle wall. The plain black curtain was made of recycled bottles. But you could also choose more decorative curtains made from the fleecy polyester material popular for blankets and pajamas.

What Happened With This Idea?

According to the 2011 press release upon the launch of this product, “The CoworkerBGone Cubicle Door lets employees create privacy when working on sensitive information and improve productivity by managing unwanted interruptions.” There’s certainly a lot to be said for increasing privacy in the cubicle. Most of us know first-hand how tough it can be to concentrate with constant interruptions. It was a good idea but apparently didn’t last since the website is now defunct. There’s no telling what factor proved to be the kryptonite for this product. It could have been:

• Failure to garner enough web traffic to get the concept out there (internet marketing can be tough)
• A higher than justifiable price point based on the materials and construction ($40 or more plus shipping)
• The fact that the item isn’t all that attractive (the black curtain does somewhat resemble a heavy duty garbage bag tacked up across the cubicle opening)

What’s odd is that at least three competitors with similar products also appear to be out of business as well. Good luck finding a supplier for the Dilbert Inflatable Door, Cube-a-Door and CubeDoor these days.

All Is Not Lost!

Fortunately, you can still find higher quality workstation privacy screens online. Quartet can come swooping to your rescue with a standalone mobile screen to block off your cubicle while still letting the light in. The aptly named “Behind-You” screen from Teknion is another high end option. Apparently, companies don’t have a problem with granting workers more privacy. They just want a product that looks professional and is constructed of quality materials.

Last week, we took a look at a Haworth paper about workplace privacy. As a follow on, you might enjoy this companion paper on The Impact of Architectural Privacy Features on Performance Stress and Informal Learning. It refers to many of the same studies, but has an emphasis on how employees learn and interact. One interesting finding is that employees value more than just high cubicle panels around their own workstation. Many also advocate panels at least 50 inches high around collaborative group workspaces. This makes sense if you consider the often undifferentiated landscape of the typical open office. On those occasions when coworkers do get together to collaborate, they still want to have a sense of being brought together by the architecture of their meeting space. They don’t necessarily need a conference room, but a cluster of furniture with panels around the perimeter at least serves to keep everyone focused. Higher panels that include acoustic shielding can also help reduce distractions to those working outside the group.

Haworth’s workplace library has a wealth of resources to help you design a great workspace that boosts productivity and enhances employee satisfaction. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a peek at some of these research documents. The “Privacy Matters” whitepaper is a good place to start. This paper by Drs. Bellingar and Kuprit takes on the topic of environmental psychology and workplace privacy.

A Changing Privacy Landscape

It turns out, the definition of privacy can vary depending on the person, the specific activity they are engaged in at a given point in their workday, and the expectations in their particular field of employment. Privacy used to primarily mean being alone. But this definition has shifted to be more about selectivity and choice in who has access to your time, your space, or your mental resources. The element of freedom is particularly important. As we discussed last week in the Swedish study, employees may have a greater sense of privacy even in a completely open workspace if they aren’t tied to a specific desk.

In the Haworth paper, the term privacy is used to talk about the amount of control employees have over limiting incoming stimuli (such as distractions) and protecting outgoing information (such as private conversations). A drop in productivity occurs when workers are exposed to too much incoming distraction – either visual or verbal. A drop in satisfaction and personal security occurs when workers are exposed to too much observation or eavesdropping.

Supporting Workplace Privacy with Furniture

Offices with doors, taller cubicle panels, and even floor to ceiling walls are architectural configurations used to support and indicate zones of increased privacy. The greater the degree of enclosure, the greater the sense of privacy. In fact, one study quoted in the Haworth paper revealed a linear increase in the perceived privacy rating of the space with an increased number of enclosed sides. So, a desk with three privacy panels or a cubicle with 3 high walls would be 50% more private than one with just 2 sides shielded.

Some of the most interesting information in the whitepaper has to do with the types of features different workers value for creating privacy. For some, having access to a conference room to enhance the privacy of group meetings was most important. For others, having a fully enclosed individual workspace for solo tasks was critical. Some types of workers found that facing away from distractions or being located far from activity hubs was the best way to cut down on interruptions. Others found that higher cubicle panels were more important than orientation or distance.

One result that held true across studies was the need to have easily reconfigurable tools to increase privacy as needed. In other words, it’s all about having the choice to limit access. Since our privacy panels install in just a few minutes with a simple Allen wrench, they definitely fall into the category of lightweight tools that are easy to reconfigure!

We’ve been talking a lot over the last few weeks about the impact of noise and interruptions on employee productivity. But a new study is revealing even more troubling data about how employees respond to a lack of visual privacy. 3M commissioned a study regarding visual privacy from the Ponemon Institute (does anyone else misread that as the Pokemon Institute?) The results were pretty shocking – and counter-intuitive. You might think that having less visual privacy would mean workers spend more time working. That’s always been an underlying idea behind having a totally open workspace where everyone can see whether their coworkers are goofing off or surfing the web. But it turns out that employees actually work 50% less when they aren’t assured of visual privacy.

At least, that’s what happened in the test environment set up by Ponemon. They studied the reactions of 274 employees from 5 organizations in different business sectors. These workers were given an opportunity to perform work while waiting to take a survey about their employer. A stranger was hovering nearby during this work period, making them feel nervous. Then, the employees were asked to go ahead and complete the survey which included sensitive questions about their employer. It’s probably not surprising that in this setup that intentionally invaded the privacy of the participants, they chose to shut down (figuratively). They answered far fewer sensitive questions and worked only half as long as those who were provided with privacy screens for their computers.

It appears that transparency and productivity both increase when employees are assured of greater visual privacy while performing work. And this isn’t just about mobile employees working in public on a laptop. 69% of participants in the study said their visual privacy had been violated at the office. A full 80% of professionals said “prying eyes” were a concern. Employees over the age of 35 are more likely to be aware of these issues and women are more attuned to the problem than men. Filters that fit on computer screens are an excellent idea for increasing visual privacy in the workplace. But you can also add another layer of security and privacy with desktop mounted privacy panels or cubicle panel extenders. We think a combination would help workers feel much better protected and at ease in their work environment – and it could help keep sensitive data safe as well.

Steelcase is well known for publishing lengthy articles about upcoming trends in office space design. These are some of our favorite resources to share with readers because each one is chock full of interesting ideas for discussion. For example, here’s one from issue #63 of 360 Research about what company executives are noticing and changing about their workplace layout. The office building itself is an often overlooked resource that organizations are learning to tap to bring out the best in their human capital.

This particular article focuses on agility and collaboration – two topics that are linked (in the minds of many businesses) to the open office space without panels. However, we see quite a few opportunities in the new “spacial concepts” touted by Keane for the inclusion of desktop mounted privacy panels or even panel extenders for traditional cubicles. Here are the top 3 based on quotes from the article:

“Running a successful business requires teamwork and frequent collaboration, but rare is the office that can ably host even a two-person meeting.” If you need small, enclosed spaces for two or three people to meet and discuss a project, the simplest answer is a freestanding pod with high walls. It’s cheaper than a built-in conference room and can easily be repurposed for other work when it’s not being used for collaboration.

“Using a strategy we call ‘Best Place”, we created a great range of flexible workspaces to meet changing needs. You have the freedom to move, to collaborate, to put your head down and focus.” Employees may feel cooped up in a cubicle or too exposed at a desk depending on the time of day or what mood they woke up in that morning. Having a range of different workstation types to choose from can help deliver just the right environment for every day of work. Our panel extenders come in a variety of heights and lengths to create a varied landscape to support all types of activities and attitudes.

“You have to give users more options, more control over their space, and be ready to change any space, even the spaces you love the most.” Oh, yes, we’re familiar with the need to change. That’s why we created the panels in the first place. Employers need an option for adjusting wall heights without tearing down and rebuilding workstations. With our panel products, any workstation can be upgraded in a few minutes using just an Allen wrench.

There’s a compelling infographic over at MyTurnstone.com that compares and contrasts two very different personality types and how they like to work. It’s not surprising to find that extroverts prefer an office environment that’s bustling and active. Introverts, on the other hand, tend to do their best work when they have more solitude. It’s not that they don’t like to collaborate or don’t know how to be a part of a team. They just don’t cope as well when they are forced to process a great deal of outward stimuli (especially social interaction) when they are trying to work.

In a 2012 article posted over at atlanticcities.com, Allison Arieff points out that 1 out of 4 people may be introverts. That’s a pretty hefty chunk of your workforce. But it’s not just these less social types who desire a little more personal space. She also points out that most employees of all personality types seem to prefer some form of separation from their colleagues. All but the most gregarious are daunted at the prospect of a completely open office with no dividers. In general, people want to socialize by choice, not because they have zero privacy. So, by being kind to your office introverts and offering the option of privacy panels, you’ll actually be making all your workers happier.

Here we are at the end of our series on Steelcase’s “Defining the Code” report. It’s been quite an interesting meander through all the ways groups and individuals perform within a given work environment and a given culture. It’s certainly lifted the curtain away from the hidden assumptions and unspoken rules that drive much of the day to day operations in a business.

Our final comparison is between long term and short term orientation

You can probably guess where most Americans and US organizations fall on this spectrum. We want what we want when we want it (and that would be RIGHT NOW). From the perspective of a company that’s gone public with its stock, it can actually be considered irresponsible to take a course of action other than the one that maximizes short term profits. Our society as a whole has both a short attention span and a hunger for immediate results. We don’t tend to give a lot of thought to the future – especially if we think the problems it brings will be shouldered by someone else.

Of course, the opposite attitude can be just as problematic. Those who have only a long term perspective may be too mired in tradition to evolve with the times. They may tend to stifle innovation and discourage bold action out of a surfeit of caution. Penny pinching can sometimes be the road to poverty in business while perseverance taken too far may mean breaking instead of bending when things change around you. The key is to have a balance between short and long term thinking so you don’t forego current opportunities or disregard the consequence of today’s actions.

How OBEX Fits In

With this particular cultural index, the use of privacy panels really is more about the organization as a whole than about any one individual. We think our products have appeal across both workplace cultures because:

• They immediately improve working conditions for employees, providing instant gratification
• They make workstations flexible over the long haul, saving money for businesses that value thrift

A highly informative article by Janelle Penny at buildings.com reveals the benefits of allowing individuals to control their own lighting in open plan offices. An in-depth study by the GSA compared their standard lighting setup vs. an arrangement that allowed employees to control the local lighting at their workstation. The first surprise was that energy usage goes down (sometimes way down) when you let employees have more control. Computer users are particularly prone to dimming their lights to reduce screen glare and avoid eye fatigue.

Even better, the percentage of employees who were satisfied with their lighting was increased by a substantial amount. Those who said the overall lighting at their workstation was comfortable rose from 55% to 70%. Those who complained that their work surface was unevenly lit dropped from 50% to 25%.

We’d love to have the GSA test out our privacy panels and see how employees like having control over their noise exposure and visual privacy as well. We’re betting the results would be pretty impressive.

OK, we’ve done 4 topics and have 2 more to go on our exploration of Steelcase’s “Defining the Code” research paper. Today, we’re going to talk about Uncertainty Tolerance. In a culture that is tolerant of unpredictable situations where there aren’t clear cut rules, participants place a high value on the ability to solve problems and navigate gray areas with aplomb. Diversity is an asset because it makes brainstorming more fruitful. In a culture that does not tolerate uncertainty well, security is prized. Preventing an uncomfortable situation from arising is seen as preferable to finding a creative solution. People feel best when everyone agrees on what the rules are (even if the rules are often broken).

Microcosms Exist in Each Workplace

This is just as much a personal preference as a cultural difference. This means you’ll likely have some employees who fit each profile. In addition, some departments and industries tend to be more risk averse than others. For example, Accounting is not a profession where gray areas and ambiguity are well tolerated. That’s probably because the IRS and the DOL don’t have a happy-go-lucky attitude about whether businesses follow the rules to the letter.

More Privacy and More Freedom

That being said, Americans generally like to be given some leeway in how they do their jobs. Greater autonomy (including decision making power) is closely linked to employee satisfaction. So, how do you use privacy panels to help foster both adherence to rules and the sense of having some personal power?

A lot of this has to do with how you present the panels and their role in the workplace. In settings where privacy and compliance are crucial, desk mounted panels or cubicle wall extenders should be installed as a matter of course. In areas where “risk taking” and diversity are prized, giving employees a say in how or where panels are installed is key. Getting to make the decision for themselves based on their own assessment of how these tools would enhance their job makes all the difference.

From Vodafone via Visual.ly, here’s an infographic that will make you think about whether the way your company does business needs to change to attract the newest crop of college grads. Much of this information comes as no surprise. For example, the Y generation expects your IT department to provide support and security for their smartphone, tablet or other mobile device as part of the BYOD trend. But the built and furnished environment is going to be just as important as the technology. If you scroll down to the bottom of the graphic, you’ll see that the Gen Y employees expect their office environment to provide different types of space for different types of work. We’re betting one of those spaces will be for highly concentrated work – and it will need some nice privacy panels.

Gen Y: Expectations of the Workplace infographic