Open plan offices have always been a popular choice for businesses, whether large or small, and will probably continue to be popular for the next few decades. The advantages of having your team working together in this collaborative way is ideal for productivity, and also helps to boost overall morale, with a more sociable feel to the workplace. Of course, there are downsides too, and that comes mostly in the form of noise, and a distinct lack of privacy.
Not everyone works well with a large number of people around them; some prefer to have quiet time to get their work complete, or simply for work which requires more concentration, such as tasks involving numbers or sensitive data. In that case, it’s important to be able to offer those types of staff the solitude they require, whilst also giving them the opportunity to continue to benefit from the open plan vibe, and to help keep the productivity advantages coming your way.
So, how can you do that?
With a large number of people in one room, quiet time and privacy can be hard to come by, but it’s not impossible!
Discuss Boundaries
The ideal discussion to have at your next team meeting is about boundaries. Set some ground rules and boundaries in terms of noise levels, what is acceptable, what isn’t, and also putting together a space where staff can go if they need to work on a particularly sensitive project, or something which requires a large amount of concentration. A few rule ideas include having core hours of quiet time, or having a sign or signal which staff can give to others when they need to get their head down and really concentration.
Have a Separate Space for Collaboration Tasks
If you have a task which requires collaboration to be done between several different members of staff, identify a separate space where this conversation can be had. Trying to brainstorm in an open plan office is extremely difficult, for not only those trying to collaborate, but also for those who aren’t involved, and who are trying to concentrate on other tasks.
Look Into Privacy Pods
A privacy pod is a specific space within the open plan office which is designated for quiet work. We mentioned having quiet time in the office, but if that’s not possible, privacy pods, or desk pods, are a great way to allow those members of staff to retreat to somewhere they can really concentrate. Check out office furniture London choices online for a great range of pods and booths like the ones here at Calibre.
Office Partitions and Screens
Office screens are a great way to add a little privacy to an open plan office. These can be in place all the time, or they can be removable, depending upon the type of work being done. Check out office furniture near me options online for a range of different screens and partitions to choose from, as well as being available in a huge variety of different shapes and colours! For extra sound proofing and quiet, why not look into acoustic office screens too.
White Noise/Background Noise
If an office is quiet, and then a collaborative conversation goes on, everyone in the room is much more likely to hear it and be distracted by it, than if there is a constant low hum of background noise. A small amount of white noise, such as low volume music, can cover over a certain amount of conversational noise, allowing everyone to get on with his or her work without too much distraction.
Purchase Noise Cancelling Headphones
You don’t really want to encourage your staff to sit wearing headphones and being extremely anti-social all day, but for quiet work, noise-cancelling headphones are a great choice. This allows quiet work to be done without disruption, for the times when extra concentration is needed. This is also a sign to other people in the office that you are busy and not to be disturbed.
These are just a few ideas to look into when trying to find a source of privacy and quiet in an open plan office. From the office booth to headphones, background noise to screens, there are many ways you can achieve this aim. If you’ve worked in an open plan office in the past, how did you find it? Did you find it easy to seek out solace occasionally, or was it a little overwhelming? Share your methods in the commentary section below and see if you can help someone else out!