5 Ways to Reduce Distractions in an Open Plan Office

There is no denying that an open plan office can be a little on the noisy side and as a result, it can cause distractions for employees who are trying to concentrate on their work. 

However, many businesses decide to opt for an open plan office layout simply because it is ideal for saving space, whilst also fostering working relationships and increasing collaboration and communication. In that case, it’s about cutting down on the negatives and embracing the positives.

So, if you’re really set on an open plan office design, how can you reduce distractions and look forward to grabbing the benefits instead?

1. Use acoustic panels - Acoustic panels can be placed strategically around your office and can be used to soak up the background noise a little. Whilst this won’t cut down completely on noise, it will reduce it enough to help your employees to focus on the work they need to do. You could also place these around quiet zones within your space, cutting out the noise that comes from collaborative spaces. 
2. Have booths here and there - Booths can be used for quiet discussion or for those who need to really concentrate on a specific task. By having booths around your open plan office, you’re also giving your employees somewhere to escape to if they really need to, without having to feel stressed about a task that they can’t seem to place all their attention on.
3. Office screens or space dividers - You can try and add a few separate areas into your main open plan office by using space dividers which effectively separate your office into two or more spaces. However, offices screens can also be used on individual desks to create a barrier, which may help employees to focus better whilst sat at their office chairs. 
4. Utilise time out areas - Distractions can only be reduced, they cannot be cut out completely and in that case, you have to consider whether stress is playing a part in your office. To avoid that, make sure that you have time out areas, perhaps with breakout furniture and if you have an outdoor space, make sure that is easily accessible for your employees if they need a few minutes to themselves.
5. Make use of noise-cancelling headphones - If employees really need to focus and they’re finding it difficult, you could supply them with noise-cancelling headphones to be used in specific circumstances. However, these need to be used carefully so as not to completely go against the whole point of an open plan office - increased communication. 

The whole aim of this is to reduce the amount of noise and distractions that could occur in your open plan office, but it also comes down to the way in which employees conduct themselves. The likelihood is that you have a group of considerate employees who know that they need to be quiet to a certain degree, in order to help others get on with their work. However, it might be the case that one or two don’t fall into that category. In that situation, you need to tackle the issue sensitively but also ensure that it doesn’t cause conflict with other colleagues they’re working with. Having someone aways talking whilst you’re trying to focus is not a good situation to be in and can easily lead to snapping and perhaps misunderstandings occurring. 

There are many pros and cons to open plan offices but they’re also very useful in terms of building up communication and team working endeavours. By working to cut down on the negatives and embracing the positives, you can look forward to a happy and harmonious office space, rather than one which causes more headaches than the sun on a particularly bright day!