study by Harvard, “employees figure out the quickest ways to get things done… [by being] able to identify the sorts of shortcuts and workarounds that boost productivity.” The problem arises when employees don’t get any privacy to work in – so “when managers [constantly] watch their workers work, employee productivity dips [because] employees feel more compelled… [to] follow all corporate policies to a T,” even when they’re inefficient.
The study showcases real life examples of coworkers in manufacturing plants who utilize little strategies and tricks, here and there, which exponentially boost overall productivity. However, whenever management came around, they stopped using these shortcuts – seemingly resulting in the study drawing the correlation between productivity decrease and management observation. Astonishingly, the study found that when companies “kept a curtain up between workers and managers, productivity increased by 10 to 15 percent.”
Increasing cubicle privacy isn’t just about giving employees a breather from administrators – it also gives them a break from coworkers! According to another article, coworker noise – such as telephone calls, frustrated blurts, and etc. – has caused “30% of workers in cubicles, and roughly 25% in partition-less offices, [to be] dissatisfied with the noise level of their workspaces.”
Have no fear, OBEX is here! We offer cubicle panel extenders, mounts, and all sorts of supporting materials to increase the privacy of your employees’ workspace. Increase your employee productivity and contact us today!