Why Privacy Pods Can Make a Better Office Environment

Over the past 20 years, open office plans have been an experiment that took the national workforce by storm, with as many as two-thirds of all offices adopting the style as of 2020. It's no secret that this plan has received some backlash, but what may come as a surprise is that 65% of workers prefer offices open spaces for collaboration – provided they also have spaces to focus on.

Privacy Pods Improve...

Privacy has historically proven to improve job satisfaction. Much of this success boils down to employees gaining a feeling of control over their environment, which can significantly reduce stress. Employees need to know they are trusted and feel their workplace values their autonomy. Otherwise, they may associate their workspace with a sense of oppression.

 Privacy Pods offer employees their choice of environment, allowing them to switch from an open space to a private one. That freedom of choice means less unnecessary stress and happier employees.

Sustained noise in an environment can be more than just annoying. Consistent noise and speech around the office can disrupt employees' mental performance, hurting their productivity. Worse still, continued exposure to this occupational noise is linked to several alarming psychological effects, such as symptoms of depression and even suicide ideation.

Collaboration

With a lack of barriers, it stands to reason that open office plans would be better for collaboration, right? Yet the data suggests that having no option for privacy reduces face-to-face communication by 70%. This is because being exposed to everybody all the time tends to make people withdraw from the social space rather than reach out to others.

 Introducing private spaces can restore that communication. Employees can have a reprieve from constant social contact, and, as a result, they'll have the energy and desire to reach out and work with others when it matters.

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