More and more companies are considering open-concept offices. According to the International Facility Management Association, roughly 70 percent of offices in North America have some form of open-concept workspace despite studies that indicate these environments can adversely impact productivity.
Why are businesses willing to take the risk?
When designed and implemented properly, open-concept workspace is proven to help employees work more collaboratively, develop better relationships and cultivate a more positive workplace culture.
The Challenges with Open-Concept Space
The main drawbacks are related to acoustic privacy – reducing or eliminating sounds in an environment that can distract or disturb. This includes conversations both seen and overheard. One of the biggest complaints open-concept office workers have is general noise levels are too high. While working with a certain amount of ambient noise has been known to foster creativity, too much noise can negate that benefit. Excessive noise can increase stress and fatigue, as well as impair an employee’s ability to recall information or even do simple math. Unwilling listeners demonstrate a 5-10% decline in productivity when performing tasks like reading, writing or other forms of creative work. Often just hearing that someone is speaking can interrupt concentration. This is magnified when you can clearly understand what the person is saying – it’s much harder to ignore a conversation if you can follow it. If the average person takes 20 minutes to refocus on a task, this can result in as much as 86 minutes of lost productivity per employee in a typical day.Overcoming These Challenges
Incorporating appropriate sound control into office design will ultimately reduce overall noise levels. This can include using sound absorbing materials that won’t compromise office aesthetics, or using low-level, ambient sound (such as white noise) to mask unwanted noise.
The Bottom Line
Open-concept offices are proven to help employees work more collaboratively, develop better relationships, and cultivate a more positive workplace culture. These benefits, however, can be negated due to excessive noise levels and a lack of acoustic privacy. If you want to capitalize on the collaborative benefits of open offices, consider taking the time to learn about the products on the market that can help your office space maintain a healthy ambience. There are solutions that will dramatically reduce the challenges associated with excessive noise so that businesses can benefit from increased collaboration and socialization amongst coworkers. Working with an experienced commercial interior design team will help you take advantage of the pros and eliminate the cons of open-concept offices.Connect Resource Managers and Planners Inc. is a team of experienced commercial interior design and furniture specialists with a passion to help businesses create productive, functional, unique and healthy work spaces. Learn more about our workplace solutions.