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Balancing privacy and collaboration in the workplace
Author:
11
June 2024
3
min read
While open-plan offices are great for encouraging collaboration, transparency and creativity, they can cause challenges such as unwanted noise, distractions and a lack of privacy. If left unaddressed, these issues can significantly impact on employee wellbeing, productivity and overall job satisfaction.
So, how can we create a work environment that balances the best of both worlds?
What does the ‘right balance’ mean for your organisation?
We all have our own preferences when it comes to how we work best. Some of us feel motivated in group settings, some of us focus better alone, and some of us fluctuate from day to day. It’s worth noting that in the UK, around one in seven people are neurodivergent, meaning 15% of your workforce may experience the office in a way that’s considered different to the norm.
To design a truly inclusive and productive workplace, leaders must first identify the complex range of needs and abilities within their organisations. Understanding the moments that matter to your people will help shape an environment tailored to their needs. For example, legal and financial organisations might prioritise confidentiality more than a creative company that’s primarily focused on collaboration.
To get a general sense of what matters to UK workers, we can draw on existing research. Gensler’s UK Workplace Survey (2023) found that the top two reasons employees go to the office are to focus on their work and collaborate with colleagues. This suggests that the majority of organisations need to support teamwork and conversations as well as private calls, confidential meetings and quiet time. But how do you accommodate privacy in an open-plan office?
Let’s look at four key design strategies:
1. Activity-based settings
Providing a range of workplace settings allows employees to choose where and how they work best. Collaborative areas might include creative studios, breakout spaces and social hubs. Private spaces could include phone booths, enclosed meeting rooms and libraries.
To better understand the settings that are right for your organisation, start by understanding the different activities your employees carry out. It often helps to choose a representative from each department to guide these decisions and ensure you’re taking a holistic view.
2. Layout and positioning
Dividing settings across the office floorplate is often referred to as zoning. Each zone should have a specific purpose, for example for welcoming and hosting visitors, collaboration, relaxation, meetings, focus and storage.
Once you’ve identified the right zones for your workforce, you can then determine where to position them. Focus and relaxation areas, for instance, are best placed in quiet parts of the building, whereas high-energy collaborative work is best done in high-traffic areas. In the absence of dedicated desks, you may also want to consider offering staff lockers for their personal belongings.
3. Acoustics
Noise affects us all differently. Some of us work better with background music; some of us need total silence. We therefore need to consider how acoustics contribute to the experience of each area of the building.
Design techniques that help absorb sound, such as high-backed sofas, soft furnishings, sound baffles, acoustic panels and indoor planting, will prevent noise from travelling through an open-plan office. You may also want to offer employees accessories such as noise-cancelling headphones.
Although evidence suggests that listening to instrumental music improves productivity, there will be employees who prefer working in silence. Designated quiet areas or acoustically treated privacy pods give staff the chance to take time out from the hustle and bustle, handle sensitive information and have confidential conversations.
4. Adaptability
Open-plan offices are ideal for impromptu conversation and shared learning opportunities, but accommodating privacy is just as important. Many of our clients are integrating flexible features, such as folding walls or acoustic curtains between meeting rooms, so they can host both private seminars and larger social gatherings in the same space. Additionally, incorporating modular furniture and adjustable lighting allows staff to customise their surroundings.
In summary
For employees to perform at their best, the office needs to support a wide spectrum of daily activities, including private areas for individual focus and open spaces for teamwork. Not only that, but employees need to understand how these tools and spaces work. Engaging staff throughout the change journey and providing informative user guides will ensure everyone understands – and gets the most out of – their work environment.
Let's talk workplace balance! Get in touch with one of our team to find out how you can find the sweet spot between privacy and collaboration in your workplace.
Download for free now
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Balancing privacy and collaboration in the workplace
Author:
11
June 2024
3
min read
While open-plan offices are great for encouraging collaboration, transparency and creativity, they can cause challenges such as unwanted noise, distractions and a lack of privacy. If left unaddressed, these issues can significantly impact on employee wellbeing, productivity and overall job satisfaction.
So, how can we create a work environment that balances the best of both worlds?
What does the ‘right balance’ mean for your organisation?
We all have our own preferences when it comes to how we work best. Some of us feel motivated in group settings, some of us focus better alone, and some of us fluctuate from day to day. It’s worth noting that in the UK, around one in seven people are neurodivergent, meaning 15% of your workforce may experience the office in a way that’s considered different to the norm.
To design a truly inclusive and productive workplace, leaders must first identify the complex range of needs and abilities within their organisations. Understanding the moments that matter to your people will help shape an environment tailored to their needs. For example, legal and financial organisations might prioritise confidentiality more than a creative company that’s primarily focused on collaboration.
To get a general sense of what matters to UK workers, we can draw on existing research. Gensler’s UK Workplace Survey (2023) found that the top two reasons employees go to the office are to focus on their work and collaborate with colleagues. This suggests that the majority of organisations need to support teamwork and conversations as well as private calls, confidential meetings and quiet time. But how do you accommodate privacy in an open-plan office?
Let’s look at four key design strategies:
1. Activity-based settings
Providing a range of workplace settings allows employees to choose where and how they work best. Collaborative areas might include creative studios, breakout spaces and social hubs. Private spaces could include phone booths, enclosed meeting rooms and libraries.
To better understand the settings that are right for your organisation, start by understanding the different activities your employees carry out. It often helps to choose a representative from each department to guide these decisions and ensure you’re taking a holistic view.
2. Layout and positioning
Dividing settings across the office floorplate is often referred to as zoning. Each zone should have a specific purpose, for example for welcoming and hosting visitors, collaboration, relaxation, meetings, focus and storage.
Once you’ve identified the right zones for your workforce, you can then determine where to position them. Focus and relaxation areas, for instance, are best placed in quiet parts of the building, whereas high-energy collaborative work is best done in high-traffic areas. In the absence of dedicated desks, you may also want to consider offering staff lockers for their personal belongings.
3. Acoustics
Noise affects us all differently. Some of us work better with background music; some of us need total silence. We therefore need to consider how acoustics contribute to the experience of each area of the building.
Design techniques that help absorb sound, such as high-backed sofas, soft furnishings, sound baffles, acoustic panels and indoor planting, will prevent noise from travelling through an open-plan office. You may also want to offer employees accessories such as noise-cancelling headphones.
Although evidence suggests that listening to instrumental music improves productivity, there will be employees who prefer working in silence. Designated quiet areas or acoustically treated privacy pods give staff the chance to take time out from the hustle and bustle, handle sensitive information and have confidential conversations.
4. Adaptability
Open-plan offices are ideal for impromptu conversation and shared learning opportunities, but accommodating privacy is just as important. Many of our clients are integrating flexible features, such as folding walls or acoustic curtains between meeting rooms, so they can host both private seminars and larger social gatherings in the same space. Additionally, incorporating modular furniture and adjustable lighting allows staff to customise their surroundings.
In summary
For employees to perform at their best, the office needs to support a wide spectrum of daily activities, including private areas for individual focus and open spaces for teamwork. Not only that, but employees need to understand how these tools and spaces work. Engaging staff throughout the change journey and providing informative user guides will ensure everyone understands – and gets the most out of – their work environment.
Let's talk workplace balance! Get in touch with one of our team to find out how you can find the sweet spot between privacy and collaboration in your workplace.
While open-plan offices are great for encouraging collaboration, transparency and creativity, they can cause challenges such as unwanted noise, distractions and a lack of privacy. If left unaddressed, these issues can significantly impact on employee wellbeing, productivity and overall job satisfaction.
So, how can we create a work environment that balances the best of both worlds?
What does the ‘right balance’ mean for your organisation?
We all have our own preferences when it comes to how we work best. Some of us feel motivated in group settings, some of us focus better alone, and some of us fluctuate from day to day. It’s worth noting that in the UK, around one in seven people are neurodivergent, meaning 15% of your workforce may experience the office in a way that’s considered different to the norm.
To design a truly inclusive and productive workplace, leaders must first identify the complex range of needs and abilities within their organisations. Understanding the moments that matter to your people will help shape an environment tailored to their needs. For example, legal and financial organisations might prioritise confidentiality more than a creative company that’s primarily focused on collaboration.
To get a general sense of what matters to UK workers, we can draw on existing research. Gensler’s UK Workplace Survey (2023) found that the top two reasons employees go to the office are to focus on their work and collaborate with colleagues. This suggests that the majority of organisations need to support teamwork and conversations as well as private calls, confidential meetings and quiet time. But how do you accommodate privacy in an open-plan office?
Let’s look at four key design strategies:
1. Activity-based settings
Providing a range of workplace settings allows employees to choose where and how they work best. Collaborative areas might include creative studios, breakout spaces and social hubs. Private spaces could include phone booths, enclosed meeting rooms and libraries.
To better understand the settings that are right for your organisation, start by understanding the different activities your employees carry out. It often helps to choose a representative from each department to guide these decisions and ensure you’re taking a holistic view.
2. Layout and positioning
Dividing settings across the office floorplate is often referred to as zoning. Each zone should have a specific purpose, for example for welcoming and hosting visitors, collaboration, relaxation, meetings, focus and storage.
Once you’ve identified the right zones for your workforce, you can then determine where to position them. Focus and relaxation areas, for instance, are best placed in quiet parts of the building, whereas high-energy collaborative work is best done in high-traffic areas. In the absence of dedicated desks, you may also want to consider offering staff lockers for their personal belongings.
3. Acoustics
Noise affects us all differently. Some of us work better with background music; some of us need total silence. We therefore need to consider how acoustics contribute to the experience of each area of the building.
Design techniques that help absorb sound, such as high-backed sofas, soft furnishings, sound baffles, acoustic panels and indoor planting, will prevent noise from travelling through an open-plan office. You may also want to offer employees accessories such as noise-cancelling headphones.
Although evidence suggests that listening to instrumental music improves productivity, there will be employees who prefer working in silence. Designated quiet areas or acoustically treated privacy pods give staff the chance to take time out from the hustle and bustle, handle sensitive information and have confidential conversations.
4. Adaptability
Open-plan offices are ideal for impromptu conversation and shared learning opportunities, but accommodating privacy is just as important. Many of our clients are integrating flexible features, such as folding walls or acoustic curtains between meeting rooms, so they can host both private seminars and larger social gatherings in the same space. Additionally, incorporating modular furniture and adjustable lighting allows staff to customise their surroundings.
In summary
For employees to perform at their best, the office needs to support a wide spectrum of daily activities, including private areas for individual focus and open spaces for teamwork. Not only that, but employees need to understand how these tools and spaces work. Engaging staff throughout the change journey and providing informative user guides will ensure everyone understands – and gets the most out of – their work environment.
Let's talk workplace balance! Get in touch with one of our team to find out how you can find the sweet spot between privacy and collaboration in your workplace.
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