Here at OBEX, we point out the problems with open offices pretty frequently. But we actually do get what office space designers are trying to achieve. We think collaboration is great and that many workplaces could benefit from encouraging more of it. We just think there are ways to accomplish this objective without sacrificing privacy and noise control. For example, today’s web and mobile based collaboration applications can help bring employees together without forcing them into such close, unshielded proximity.

These days, many people really do feel connected as long as they can interact via social media. In the workplace, that can be a dedicated intranet platform like SharePoint. There are even project collaboration platforms designed for specific industries (for example, Atlassian’s Confluence is ideal for software development firms). When you take collaboration online, you get all the buzz with none of the noise. Even better, your employees can work together any time, in the office or on the go.

Commercial real estate and architectural design firms are all buzzing about the latest article from Steelcase. The office furniture manufacturer is making some bold predictions about upcoming trends that will affect everything from space management to furniture purchases. Many of these trends will mesh well with the use of cubicle extenders, desktop mounted privacy panels, and other cube accessories. For example:

1. The trend toward moving cubicles into a “wagon train” circle around a central conference area will mean employees are breathing down each other’s necks more than ever. They’ll need a higher panel in back or in front to feel like they have some visual privacy. Steelcase suggests that workstations will need to have a door as well. There are several sliding and rolling cubicle screen accessories on the market that fit the bill from manufacturers such as Quartet and Teknion.
2. Shared private enclaves (created out of space saved with smaller and more efficiently spaced cubicles) will also need to be shielded from surrounding areas. High acoustic panels can help bring the noise down a little in these areas. Since they can be mounted to any standard table, desk, workstation, or bench surface with our universal mounting hardware, creating an impromptu privacy pod will be simple.
3. Employees who are in the office more might get more perks such as bigger cubicles. Since these non-mobile workers are stuck in the middle of the buzzing office all day, some will probably also crave cubicle panel extenders. These can be added based on job type, location, and employee preference.
4. Finally, as more and more high-level workers with traditional offices are moved out in the open to conserve space, they won’t want to give up all the privacy they once enjoyed. Our panel products can help ease the transition for these employees. The culture shock of moving from a private office into a cubicle can be mitigated by creating a more secluded atmosphere within the workstation.

Did you see the recent Motley Fool article about Red Hat CEO, Jim Whitehurst? Much is being made of the fact that this leader toils in a cubicle alongside his employees. The author of the piece states that “It’s clear that lavish excess isn’t written in the cards for this down-to-earth corporate leader.” Just a few sentences earlier in the same paragraph, Whitehurst’s $7.4 million dollar 2011 compensation is mentioned without a trace of irony.

We’re guessing that going home to relax in a heated, Olympic sized swimming pool in the 5 acre backyard of your mansion helps take the edge off at the end of a hard work day.* For the average cubicle worker, the surroundings at their office are a little more than window dressing to create the appearance of equality. People who don’t get a choice to forego a corner office may appreciate the perks of privacy a little more. We think everyone deserves to have a little space to call their own at work. That’s why we make cubicle panel extenders affordable enough for the whole office – not just the CEO in the cubicle next door.

*This description of the Whitehurst residence is purely speculative – just like most of the investment advice on the Motley Fool site.

The evidence that open plan offices are bad for you keeps piling up. Anne Murphy Paul put together a great roundup of current research at Time.com. Her article is titled “Why the Open Office Is a Hotbed of Stress.” As you can imagine, she doesn’t paint a favorable picture of what it’s like to work in an environment where noise is at a maximum and privacy is at a minimum. She points out that every benefit employers thought they would reap by doing away with private offices or taking down the cubicle walls has actually backfired.

• Social interaction frequency increased…but conversations became shallower
• People could reach out to coworkers for help…but those being asked for help got less done
• Everyone could hear and see everyone else…but everyone could hear and see everyone else

According to Anne’s article, not only are open office designs associated with more stress, they can even sap your will to live – or at least the will to keep on trying to find solutions for problems. We hope that doesn’t mean that people will stop looking for solutions to the open office problem. We’re doing our part with desktop mounted privacy panels. They can close the “door” a little bit on all these problems.

Other structural and process changes that can make a difference include:

• Setting aside some enclosed areas for private conversations. This gives people a space to really communicate instead of just chatting about the weather and sports.
• Making sure the coverings on ceiling and walls are designed to absorb sound. This may involve some retrofitting, but it will be worth it.
• Have all workers turn off sound-generating devices. Have desktop phones light up instead of ringing. Put cell phones on vibrate. Turn off “pinging” email notification sounds on computers.
• Institute a two hour “period of silence” at the beginning or end of each work day. During this time, employees are to work by themselves with minimal interaction.
• Install privacy screens, doors or other barriers that can be rolled or pulled across the cube opening. This can be as simple as adding CubeGuard Cubicle Message Barriers that let frequent helpers notify “helpees” when they need to be left alone.

Coworking spaces represent what urban studies theorist Richard Florida calls the “fourth place” for today’s workers. These locations serve a population that isn’t fully supported in a traditional office setting, at a home office, or in an informal “coffee shop” work setting. In a coworking environment, there is an even finer line than normal between the need for socialization and a desire for privacy. Patrons of these establishments are looking for a place to be “alone together” with other people while working. They aren’t collaborating on the same work in any sense, so the need for completely open access to each other isn’t a factor. On the other hand, providing a high level of privacy to the point of isolation isn’t necessary either. If people wanted to be completely alone while they worked, the home office is usually a better option. In fact, the coworking space is specifically designed to offer a little bit of a “buzz” for those who feel uninspired when they aren’t around other people.

There’s Such a Thing as Too Much Chatter

At the same time, high noise levels aren’t appreciated by coworkers. In the “NetWork” white paper sponsored by Allsteel, the authors observe, “In general, clients for coworking spaces seem to prefer a dedicated work environment without the distractions of a café or the hush of a library. Both acoustic dampening and office etiquette tend to lower ambient noise compared to cafés, while encouraging conversations and social interactions.” Acoustic ceiling tile and wall coverings do provide a level of noise control; but desk-mounted panels could also be useful. For example, desks with privacy panels might designate a section of the coworking space as the “heads down” area. This is where patrons would retreat to make the most of a sudden burst of creativity and concentration to complete a specific task.

Panels Add Function Without Fuss

From a visual design perspective, there’s certainly a place for our bold range of polycarbonate privacy panels in the coworking interior. Here’s another excerpt from the NetWork paper, “Coworking spaces are often more minimalist in décor with an emphasis on simple, clean, uncluttered space. Design is pragmatic and focused on a straightforward approach to getting work done. Nonetheless, these spaces are not stark, but attractive, well lit and well furnished.” We like to think that the simple, elegant design of our panel products help make a space more functional without adding clutter. If you are a facilities manager, architect, or commercial interior designer tasked with outfitting a coworking space, we hope you’ll consider our products as a way to enhance your project!

Have you read Haworth’s paper on Why Daylight and Views Matter in the workplace? Apparently, workers who have a view of the outdoors (preferably a natural scene rather than a cityscape) have less stress and more satisfaction on the job. We would all probably like to have an office with a big picture window to let in the sun and give us a panoramic perspective on the great outdoors. Of course, we aren’t all lucky enough to work in that type of space.

Perhaps the next best thing would be to decorate the office interior with nature scenes? Our privacy panels can be custom printed with any imagery you choose. This means you can bring the great outdoors indoors with pictures of mountains, forests, the ocean, or any soothing scene you can imagine. Relaxation is only one benefit of bringing art and nature into the office space. As a bonus, you’ll be happy to know that a visually interesting office helps stave off boredom.

As we help employers improve their workplace acoustics with our panel products, we always appreciate other companies that educate the public about this vital topic. Cambridge Sound Management has a very clear explanation of another aspect of noise control in the workplace that is becoming more and more popular. It’s the use of sound masking to mitigate distracting noises. Their illustration of a flashlight turned on in a bright room makes it easy to understand how a system such as the Qt Quiet technology works to make noises seem less intrusive. The use of sound masking equipment in conjunction with physical barriers like panel extenders is often the ideal approach to creating the productive work environment you need. Both can be installed in today’s modern, open office environments to quickly and affordably upgrade the sound environment with minimal disruption to workers.

Just a few months ago, the New York Times addressed the issue of noise in the workplace. The conclusion? We need less of it. Now, the NYT is talking about how adding sounds can help aid with focus and enhance your mood at work – you just have to pick the right kind of noise.

Music Makes Us Work Better

Apparently, individuals who are moderately skilled at their jobs (in other words, most of us) gain substantial productivity by listening to music while we work. This isn’t just true for manual jobs like assembly line work. It also holds true for knowledge work such as IT that require a high level of concentration, attention to detail and creative problem solving.

Choose Your Tunes

Musical pieces without words are the best option since there are no lyrics to distract the listener. With just instrumental music, you can get in the zone with the musical part of your brain without interfering with the function of the language center. Other than that, there’s not really any “best” music – it should just be something you like. Whether that’s Bach, Miles Davis or Union Station is up to you. Having control over the selection rather than being forced to listen to someone else’s music makes a big difference.

Create a Sound Sanctuary

Obviously, earphones are a necessity if you work in a cubicle or open office environment so everyone can have their own personal soundtrack. This raises the question of workplace collaboration. How can coworkers interact with you if you’re plugged in all day?

The NY Times article points out that you don’t need to listen all day long to reap the productivity benefits of music in the workplace. 20-30 minutes here and there is sufficient to help most people refocus. So, employees might simply choose to use the ear buds or headphones during those times when they really need to concentrate – which means coworkers shouldn’t interrupt them anyway.

Second, it might actually be helpful for people to limit the amount of cross-cubicle talk in open work areas. It’s disruptive to everyone and part of the reason people use music to block out excessive office noise in the first place.

What do you think? Is it OK to listen while you work?

Our cubicle panel extenders don’t just make employees happy by increasing their level of workplace privacy. One unintended side effect can be making office pranks more fun. Twitter user PaulPabst posts a clever photo that clearly demonstrates the simple physics of the equation: you can fit more packing peanuts in a cube that has higher walls. More surface area and volume capacity means you can take your fun and harmless pranks a little further. Of course, the interior of the cubicle can be better shielded by opaque panel extenders rather than the transparent ones in the photo. That means your “victim” won’t be able to see inside the cube from a distance. You can get the full effect of the surprise when they round the corner and peek into their workspace to find that you set all their office supplies in Jell-O!