Tag : desk-mounted privacy panels

Ready for another great office joke? TGIF!

“The company where I work provides four-foot-high cubicles so each employee can have some privacy.

One day a co-worker had an exasperating phone conversation with one of her teenage sons.

After hanging up, she heaved a sigh and said, “No one ever listens to me.”

Immediately, several voices from surrounding cubicles called out, “Yes, we do!””

Do you co-work? This late to rise 21st century phenom of the temporary workspace is called by urban studies theorists the “fourth place”  for today’s workers. Such locations often serve workers who for whatever reason are not fully supported in the familiar spaces of the traditional office, work from home ? telecommuting gig or casual  “coffee shop” environment.

“Some even prefer to work around other people,” said Sande Golgart, western regional vice president with flexible workspace provider Regus. “They find it inspiring, they find it more cost effective and they find that they’re able to be very productive in that environment because of technology.” Golgart goes on to stress the flexibility of co-working space, with an emphasis on how good they can be for mobile workers who occasionally need a quiet space to reboot, catch up on items and take advantage of a recharging station.

Co-workers have a keen need for both socialization and privacy. They often aren’t part of a close knit team, where constant interaction is a must – rather, they are lone wolves who nonetheless want to co-exist in a pack setting.   Coworking space is often looked upon as the ideal answer for those who need a bit of “buzz” to be motivated and inspired, but who don’t necessarily thrive on constant direct contact with other personnel

However, simply adding “noise” to the equation isn’t what is looked for – not at all. In fact, co-workers normally cite excessive background noise and chatter as one of the two top annoyances at work! While solutions such as acoustic ceiling tile and wall coverings can provide a level of noise control, desk-mounted panels add another layer of protection  – and solve the second complaint, that of privacy issues.

Polycarbonate privacy panels work perfectly to provide both noise reduction and a feeling of personal space in co-working environments. They can be added to the layout at any time, from the conceptual stage by an architect, upon leasing a space by a facilities or floor manager, or as a redesign by an interior designer or efficiency expert seeking to streamline your office.

Could privacy panels be the answer for your co-working office space?

Is your office a cacophony of racket, making it nearly impossible to get work done? Here are some ideas to help.

First, a cubicle extender could mean the world if your boss can be convinced it’s in his or her best interest to make the investment. You might do an informal poll among your office employees to see if they feel productivity would go up if they had a more private place to work in.

Cubicle privacy panels can be adjusted at different heights for each employee’s needs, and really enhance working conditions for those who work alone, while other desks can have shorter cubicle walls to allow collaboration between team members who need a more back and forth working environment.

While corporate is taking the idea of adding cubicle panel extenders to the budget, here are a few things you can do to limit distraction.

1. Wear earplugs. They can help down out repetitive annoying sounds, like the guy four rows over who keep clearing his throat, the printer coming on and shutting off, or the fax beeping incessantly.
2. Wear headphones. These are a boon if other people continually want to chat when you are trying to work. It’;s a social barrier as you are obviously listening to something and they would have to shout to get your attention.
3. Play soothing sounds. Even if your boss doesn’t allow a radio in your cubicle, you might be able to slip a sound machine in that produces a calming overlay on top of the office jangle. You can even find websites that can play soothing sounds like rainfall on low on your speakers.
4. Be firm about interruptions. Let co-workers know you have a heavy workload and you can’t get everything done if you take time out to gossip.
5. Ask for a desk in a quiet part of the office. Can’t hurt!

Don’t give up if you have trouble staying focused. Keep trying things until something works, and rally other employees to your cause. Your boss might be tempted to try something new if you show them stats on how better working conditions do increase quality performance and productivity!

Are you an office furniture or office supply dealer? Have you considered adding panel extenders and desk-mounted privacy panels to your catalogue? Here are the top 4 reasons to contact your regional distributor today and become an OBEX dealer:

Everyone Can Use Our Products

Whether your customers have traditional cubicles or a benching system with no panels at all, we have a solution that will suit their workplace. Our universal mounting brackets fit all standard panel widths and desk thicknesses. The range of sizes and materials gives them plenty of choices for an off-the-shelf solution that we can get to them with a short delivery time of just three weeks.

Businesses Know They Need Privacy Panels

There’s a wealth of information available about how distractions, noise, and lack of privacy reduce productivity. The move toward low or no cubicle walls and a completely open office has started to look like less than a brilliant idea. Employers know they need to do something about this problem. If you ask any of your customers if their employees would appreciate a work environment that increases focus and reduces stress, what do you think they will say?

We Make It Easy For You to Say “Yes!”

Does your client want custom sizes? We can do that. How about custom fabrics or paints? We can do that. Maybe the client would like some graphics that create a vibrant work environment or highlight their corporate brand? We do that too. Because we have the facilities and equipment right here to make each OBEX panel, we can help you say ‘yes’ to almost any customer request.

You Get More Satisfied Customers

If you need just a little more incentive to start offering our products, here’s a typical response we get for our products:

“I would like to take a moment to thank the staff of OBEX and let you know what a great product the OBEX panel extenders are. We are very pleased with the product and with the customer focus we received from OBEX. The entire process of order to installation was seamless. The OBEX panel extenders are versatile and extremely cost effective and will be used for a multitude of applications in our work environment. I would highly recommend this product to anyone that needs a quick and affordable means of adding privacy, sound reduction or even aesthetics to existing panel systems furniture without the hassle of having to purchase and install new panels. Thanks again OBEX!” Howard O’Kelly – LPL Financial, AVP Real Estate & Facilities

When you become an OBEX dealer, these satisfied clients could be yours…

Did you know that a desk mounted panel can be installed in more than one way? If you want more private space for your face, the panel goes on top of your desk. However, you could also install it upside down on one of the many benching workstations that are so popular these days. This way, it can serve as a “modesty panel” to give workers more privacy below their worksurface. This is a good way to conceal cabling or cords that hang down. It could also help divide under-desk floor space for employees who sit directly across from each other. That’s helpful if workers use this area for impromptu storage.

Tips for this type of installation:

• Pick the right product. The edge-mounted desktop privacy panel is the one to choose for installation on a flat surface.
• The translucent polycarbonate tiles are a subtle and unobtrusive material option for this type of installation. They go with any color scheme.
• Choose a 12” panel height for a basic modesty panel. Go with a 24” panel if you want to partially shield components placed under the desk from view and reduce the appearance of clutter.
• Measure and double-check the underside of the worksurface to ensure the legs and other features won’t get in the way of the universal brackets. The brackets can be installed at any point along the length of the panel, so be aware that there’s a lot of flexibility. They also aren’t very deep (just the right length to hold the panel firmly in place). But a lip that sticks down on the underside of the tabletop an inch or two from the edge could interfere with installation in the standard or upside down position.
• Realize that the brackets will stick up a little bit on the edge of the desk if they are installed upside down. Use strategically placed objects on the worksurface to distract from the brackets. An inbox, a picture frame, or a small potted plant will do just fine. Or, some employees might want to put tiny Lego action figures atop the brackets – you never know!

One of the things our customers particularly like about your desk-mounted privacy panels is that they installation isn’t a permanent commitment. We considered the various ways to attach a panel to the desktop and decided to go for the low impact approach. Unlike products that force you to put a hole in the desk and screw the panel in place, ours fit on your desk with a removable bracket. There’s no bolt going through your desk and no top plate screwed down into the surface. This means you can always decide to move the panel to a different position on the desk or switch it to a new desk at any time. We take it for granted that your workplace and office furniture won’t stay the same forever – but we do think that you shouldn’t have to put a hole in your desk to Support an improved work style!

When you think of an office desk top, you probably envision a simple rectangle. But the truth is that many work surfaces have curved edges. These eye-pleasing swoops and swirls don’t lend themselves to being hidden behind a freestanding cubicle panel. They need a different kind of privacy panel that preserves the look and feel of the workspace while still giving employees the space to concentrate on work. Fortunately, our OBEX desktop panels are versatile enough to handle whatever curves you through at them.

Check out how our universal mounting system makes it possible to add privacy even along rounded worksurface edges. On a shallow curve, the straight edge of the panel barely registers as there (especially in our clear polycarbonate option). With a deep curve, there’s room to put a potted plant in the little half circle space for a touch of green.

Have you read the article by MoneyWatch contributor Amy Levin-Epstein about how to concentrate while working in a cubicle? We all know that focusing at work is difficult when you sit in close proximity to other employees. What’s new about this piece is that the author asked a couple of ADD/ADHD experts for their opinions. Attention Deficit Disorder and related cognitive disorders aren’t just confined to children. Kids who have trouble sitting still and paying attention in school are also likely to be bored and easily distracted on the job when they grow up.

That’s a problem that can take a big toll on an employee’s productivity and their chances for career advancement. The open office environment that’s become increasingly popular with facility designers poses special challenges for those who have a short attention span. The whole idea of the open office is to create that “buzz” and get people to interact with each other more. But for a person who is having difficulty staying on task, this is far from helpful.

How to Boost Attention on the Job

Amy’s article talks about a few ways to cope with visual and audible distractions at work. One suggestion is to create ‘blinders’ in the workstation that reduce the tendency to look around at every distracting movement. This approach has the added benefit of cutting down on outside interruptions. If coworkers can’t easily see an employee, they are less likely to try to engage that person in conversation.

The suggestion to use potted plants to block the view is nice, but not likely to be that effective. Plants don’t serve as much of a barrier and they take up floor or desk space that could be put to better use. In contrast, desk-mounted privacy panels take up very little room on an open workstation. Cubicle panel extenders are mounted on top of existing walls, so they don’t take up any footprint on the desk at all. These products are specifically designed to block visual contact and reduce racket to help employees concentrate. If you have a worker with ADD/ADHD, this might be a wonderful gift to give them a boost toward greater effectiveness at their job.

Lighting experts at Philips and office furniture designers at Haworth have put their heads together and come up with a bright idea for combining their products. Since lighting is a key feature that lift employees’ moods, it’s important to ensure the workplace is well lit. However, quality is just as critical as quantity.

Choose Your Luminosity with Care

Natural daylight is best while flickering, oddly tinted fluorescent lights that make everyone’s skin look chalky green are arguably the worst. LED lighting comes the closest to mimicking sunlight. In fact, LEDs can be created in literally dozens of different subtle gradations of “white” as well as hundreds of other colors. In addition, unlike filament based incandescent bulbs and tube based fluorescent lamps, LEDs can be delivered along a much more diffuse surface.

Divide and Illuminate

Haworth and Philips are leveraging these features of LED to create the ideal workplace lighting solutions that combine furniture and illumination. Haworth already features Philips lighting in the MeetYou lounge furniture series. Now, the companies are collaborating on more innovative ideas. One forward-looking design is the lighted divider concept. Imagine a workplace where light is used to define boundaries.  Instead of creating dark nooks and crannies, these gently glowing screens would make the workplace appear more bright and open – even as they provided necessary separation.

Let There Be Light

We like the idea of incorporating light into dividers. This could be done with floor-to-ceiling walls, head height privacy screens used to delineate teaming areas, and even in desktop dividers where the LEDs could provide task lighting. So far, Haworth and Philips are just debuting their LED office furniture ideas in Europe. But we think you could achieve something similar by attaching a clamp-on LED task lamp to one of our cubicle panel extenders or desktop dividers. That way, employees can get all the light they need even with higher cubicle walls that provide more privacy.

Perhaps another location for an extra panel is in the reception area. A reception desk should feel open and inviting to visitors. But it can often feel a little vulnerable to the receptionist. This is especially true in a layout where reception is located near an open hallway and employees are traipsing back and forth all day. If the front office has floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the sidewalk, the receptionist may feel under scrutiny from passersby as well. Placing a desk mounted privacy panel along one side of the desk offers a little shielding while still making the receptionist easily approachable by guests.