When Robert Propst developed the concept of the cubicle, he had specific ideas for the perfect office space:

“Conceived as an alternative to open workrooms that lacked privacy or personality, its modular elements could be customized to accommodate employees’ changing needs. “Action Office,” as the cubicle and its components were officially called, was the invention of Robert Propst, a brilliant artist/inventor.”

You can reclaim the freedom and productivity dreamed by the inventor of the cubicle with all the benefits of 21st century style with the help of OBEX. Redesigning and customizing your office does not have to be a costly endeavor with tons of new furniture. Here are ways to keep your office looking professional and functioning well for each employee:

1. Desk and table mounts: Turn any desk or table into a cubicle easily and efficiently with pieces that mount directly on your existing furniture. We offer different sizes, so you can create the space you need, whether you need the extra height to clip a lamp to increase desktop space or need an extra sound barrier to reduce noise levels for phone calls.
2. Cubicle panel mounts: If you already have some cubicle dividers, you can customize your office space with panel mounts. You can get the extra height you need, as well as add to the decor. We offer a variety of styles and colors, so you will be able to create the perfect functional and fashionable office space.

If you are ready to reinvent your office space, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

We know that cubicles are a fact of life in many places of work, but some offices don’t have the fortune of finding a large space without expensive rent. For a nascent business just opening its doors, it’s probably a challenge finding office space large enough where all the desks have some breathing room. However, close quarters in offices are inevitable when still in growing stages. It may be that way for you now, with workstations set up nearly elbow to elbow.

Table mount dividers provide some satisfying solutions to this, especially when you have employees who can’t really work well when they have someone sitting near them. On a psychological level, having table mount dividers on cramped desks brings a comfortable level of privacy while still fostering a level of collaboration when it’s needed.

Here at OBEX, our attention is on providing those privacy table mounts to you in a way that makes them easy to use. Our mounts are easy to install without worrying about damage to the existing desks you own. They come with clamps and thumb screws so you have a simple and durable installation without headaches.

Better yet, these dividers come with customization available so you have a choice of polycarbonate tiles, or even frosted acrylic surfaces. With these options, you’ll have either solid dividers for complete privacy, or ones that provide some level of visibility without leaving work areas wide open for employee view.

Providing Privacy When Your Employees Want it

When you have a new business, you want your employees to concentrate on their work without distractions. By using our table mount dividers, you’re encouraging this especially if nearby employees have a tendency to talk too much or don’t like working close to others.

Thanks to the easy installation and removal of your dividers, you can set up collaborative projects when the time is right. In fact, you can divide up a space with the dividers only when necessary then use the same space as a fully open environment for group projects.

Contact us here at OBEX to find out more about our table mounts and other products, including cubicle extenders. When you’re forced into smaller spaces, you’ll be amazed at how much privacy these dividers provide without having to drastically change your office’s configuration.

The benefits of improving employee creativity often speak for themselves. However, you are constantly on the look out to see what else can be done to keep the momentum going. One way is by purchasing office panel extenders to fit on top of your existing cubicles, so distractions can be better controlled when employees really need to focus. Although they are still sharing the same office, when each worker feels as if they have their own personal space, this can provide a sense of motivation and keep them doing their best work. Let’s see the ways these extenders can give them that added creative spark. Studies show:

• First: that perceived control can moderate stress reactions (Glass & Singer, 1972). This means that even if every employee in that office space is under pressure and inundated with work, these panel extenders give them control over their own cubicle, that one space they feel is their personal zone. This provides more focus on what they need to do in order to get the work done. Sure, they may look across and see how their co-workers are faring and can communicate when needed but, researchers find that the ability to control one’s own environment has a significant impact on personal satisfaction. And, a more satisfied employee can block out the stresses of others and focus on their own creativity.
• Second: these panels can even help during cold and flu season! As most employers know, this is the time of year when offices are half empty or full of people who are ill. 1-in-4 U.S. employees go to work sick and with this open-work space, colds can get passed around quickly. How can someone possibly be at their creative best when they feel bad or are so sick they have to miss several days of work? Cubicles do provide some protection because employees can isolate themselves better but, these panel extenders offer an added barrier that helps to safeguard them and keep the germs out.
• Third: creativity can be blocked because of one simple thing: noise. The psychologist Nick Perham, published a study on Applied Cognitive Psychology, and found that office noise and confusion impairs workers’ ability to recall information and, can even have an effect on doing basic math. This is why libraries are so quiet; so people can think. In cubicles there is a measure of privacy but, continuous ringing of phones, loud conversations and other distractions can actually undermine employee motivation. It all comes back to control. Part of the reason office noise reduces motivation is because workers know the noise is going to be there but, feel as if there is just nothing they can do about it. This can be frustrating and unproductive if that’s all they’re really focused on. By providing office panel extenders for their cubicles, this gives them back part of that control because some of those distracting nois es will be muted.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology says that office distractions will make employees stressed and feel as if they are not working at their best. Add to this, a feeling of powerlessness in not having any personal space and, the fear of catching a cold or getting the flu; this can prevent them from being creative and is not a good way in bringing out their best. Providing your workers with office panel extenders for their cubicles is the best solution in giving them a sense of privacy and, help them stay productive and imaginative. To talk about this, please contact us today for more information.

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.

As companies grow and work forces expand, there is a growing need for partitioning space.  However, creating private work areas for increasing staff can be a challenge, especially in offices with limited square footage and preexisting furniture.

Here are five reasons this can be achieved using desk mounts:

1. Budget – Using desk mounts is a solution that is very cost effective. Designer fees, new furniture prices, moving expenses, real estate fees and other costs associated with more drastic solutions are extremely high.  However with desk mounts, the price is limited to the product.
2. Ease of Installation – Desk mounts come with simple hardware, including the frame, the tile and a clamp, as well as the tools necessary for installation, which is usually just and allen wrench.  Most desk mounts are easily installed by the customer themselves in a matter of minutes.
3. Compatibility – With various sizes and adjustable clamps and rotating channels, desk mounts are compatible with almost any existing desk and work space configuration.  They range in from 12″ to 24″ inches in height and 24″ to 72″ in widths  Plus, custom sizes can also be ordered.
4. Variation – In order to fit into any office style, desk mounts are available in multiple colors, styles and materials.  You can choose from many colors or select a custom color.  Tiles come framed or unframed as well as clear, translucent or opaque.
5. Privacy – Desk mounts create privacy in a communal workplace by blocking views as well as sound.  There are tiles that are both acoustical and polycarbonate.  Each of which comes in many fabrics and styles.

Purchasing new furniture, moving to a large space or re-positioning entire walls to create separate offices are not only costly endeavors but are not usually desirable.  The ideal situation is one in which people are close enough to work together effectively but also have the benefit of privacy when they need it.  Desk mounts are the perfect way to achieve this balance.

For more information, please contact us.

When you’re at work, do you sit with your legs crossed or in the parallel position? Believe it or not, body language experts’ attest that a person’s chosen sitting style says a lot. For instance, it could indicate self-confidence, interest, anxiety, anger or boredom. Therefore, many savvy professionals like to attempt to analyze people by using leg positioning and other physical cues. Unfortunately, not all forms of business attire, desks and office chairs make sitting in certain positions easy. As such, they could inadvertently alter the message that you and others are quietly sending to coworkers, clients and the rest of the working world.

Thankfully, there is an easy way to alter the working environment so employees may sit as they please. It involves installing modesty panels. They come in different forms and may be attached to the underside of office desks and seminar tables. Once the modesty panels are in place, they’ll either partially or fully shield your lower extremities from view. Therefore, you and your staff will clearly feel more at ease when it comes time to choose a suitable sitting style.

The other nice thing about modesty panels is that they help define personal space during group training sessions and staff meetings. Think about it for a moment. With a panel in place, there is less of a chance that someone will accidentally stretch out a leg and kick or trip another attendee. Plus, some modern modesty panels are constructed out of acoustical tiles. Understandably, they’ll help cut down on noises caused by pocketed items, shifting legs and hard-soled shoes.

Finally, modesty panels come in so many styles that they’ve become part of interior design schemes too. For example, an industrial-style desk could be outfitted with metal-framed, frosted acrylic panels. Wooden desks, on the other hand, could be paired with unframed, matching panels for a seamless look. To learn more about today’s modesty panels and how they may improve any given working environment, please contact us today.

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.

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!

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.

Offices and classrooms are often set up in an open format that allows everyone to see and hear everything that is happening. That’s not always a bad thing, but, certain activities are better done in a semi-private setting. From testing students to training employees and dealing with clients, there are many reasons to consider temporary walls for cubicles. Here are five reasons to consider installing cubicle panel mount extenders for your students or employees.

1. Individual Spaces – Although there are many times when group-work and collaboration are beneficial, that isn’t always the case. Special projects in the office or testing in schools require a quiet, individual space to work. By using cubicle panel mount extenders, small, semi-private offices can be created in just a couple of minutes.
2. Sound Absorption – Telephones ringing, conversations being had and typing can all be extremely distracting, especially when combined. It may not always be possible for employees or students to use headphones or other means to block out the noise. Cubicle panel mount extenders with sound-deadening fabrics all but eliminate ambient noises and help create quiet areas for study and employees to work.
3. Ease Of Installation – It literally takes less than five minutes to install cubicle panel mounts and it only requires a small allen wrench to get the job done. That means you won’t have to call in a carpenter to make sure the installation is done correctly. It also means that there are no lengthy disruptions during classes or working hours.
4. Easily Changed – Perhaps your students or staff only need the added privacy for a short time. These types of panels are just as easy to remove as they are to install. This is excellent news should you decide to change the overall look of the space as well. Additionally, there are several fabric and polycarbonate options that will suit your needs.
5. Cost-Effective – While it may be tempting to order new furniture that will accommodate your needs, it’s not always possible. For most businesses and schools, finding room in the budget to upgrade the furniture is impossible. Rather than purchasing all new cubicles, simply adding to your existing furniture is a much more cost-effective and eco-friendly choice.

If you are interested in learning more about cubicle mount panel extenders for your school or office, contact us. We will be more than happy to talk to you about the various ways that you can incorporate them into your space.