Benefits & Drawbacks of Open Office Spaces

COLLABORATION NATION Benefits and drawbacks of open office spaces Office environments have become increasingly open. It's a trend designed to improve collaboration and Workplaces designed to enable collaboration, without sacrificing workers' ability to focus, communication, and has grown since the 1970s. are more successful. 70% of U.S. employees work in an open floor plan. Compared to peers who are unable to focus at work, employees who can effectively focus are: more able T 57% to collaborate more able T 88% to learn more able to T 42% socialize THE BENEFITS Idea Creation and Innovation O More cost-effective e More natural light Require less floor space per person than closed offices O Equality @ Communication and Open offices usually provide collaboration roughly equal work space Closer proximity to coworkers for employees and fewer boundaries THE DRAWBACKS Plummeting Productivity O Less productivity » Concentration can falter due to distractions. » There's a correlation between overly dense spaces and loss of productivity. Less personal space If employees share a workspace, they may not have the opportunity to organize and customize their workstation as they see fit. O Physiological and psychological reactions Open work environments where people sit closely together can lead to fatigue, stress, anxiety, and increased blood pressure. Less privacy Employees who work in traditional closed offices have reported higher levels of job satisfaction. 6 Noise Noises include photocopiers, people talking in person or on the phone, and people moving. of employees prefer quiet when they need to are dissatisfied with the noise 77% 69% level at their focus workspace Health Employees in open offices are more likely to catch the flu from coworkers, and take significantly more sick days than those in private offices. TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL OPEN WORKSPACES Provide focus space Set boundaries Create one or more quiet areas Create guidelines for noise levels, privacy, and personal space. with a no-talking rule. For instance, if workers are wearing headphones, use that as a sign to not disrupt them. Consider ergonomics Use couches and lounge chairs for private workspaces. Stock flexible workspaces with lap desks. Create collaboration areas Set up areas with extra seating and meeting tables. Offer flex time Improve privacy Some workers focus better at home, Provide privacy screens while others get more done in an for computers. office environment. Consider allowing workers flexibility for certain days of the week or month. 25 Reduce distractions Provide noise-canceling headphones. Open office spaces have their pros and cons. It's important to remember that every worker is different. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Work with your space and your company to create a collaborative, respectful workspace. Sources gensler.com huffingtonpost.com alacapchap.org ncbi.nlm.nih.gov blog.fellowes.com smallbusiness.chron.com corporette.com intheblack.com switchandshift.com cultureiq.com lapa.co.nz Quill.om A small part of your job is 100% of ours.