Is It Time to Open up Your Office?

The cubicle walls are coming down across America as open offices rise in popularity. In 70 percent of U.S. offices, employees sit in the open, facing each other and their tasks in a corporate effort to improve transparency, productivity, and teamwork. No longer confined to four beige walls, employers and employees are discovering the benefits of open offices — but they’re also discovering some of the costs. There’s no “right“ way to run an office, but taking a look at the pros and cons of an open office may help you decide whether it’s the right step for yours.

The Upsides of an Open Office

Reduced Costs

Employers will be happy to hear that reduced overhead costs are one of the major benefits of running an open office. Cubical materials can be costly! In an open office, it’s easier to share certain tools, too. While most employees will still need their own chair and computer, employees can easily share things like staplers and lighting in an open office. Employers can put that saved money to good use by investing in higher-quality office equipment to keep staffers happy.

Community

One of the original principles of open offices is that they encourage a sense of community, camaraderie, and teamwork in the workplace. First established in Germany in the 1950s, open offices didn’t catch on in the U.S. until the turn of the 21st century. Evidence suggests that open offices do result in a sense of shared responsibility, and that employees feel more involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. It looks like old-fashioned face-to-face contact is the way to go in this department.

The Downsides

Distractions

This face-to-face contact has its downsides though — the major one being distractions. Surveys and studies suggest that open offices actually result in lower productivity because employees are so distracted by the sights, sounds, and demands of their fellow employees in open offices. It turns out private offices usually reflect higher productivity, despite the common assumption that working transparently will result in less wasted time.

Lack of Privacy

The lack of privacy is cited as another one of the major downsides of open offices. It turns out most humans crave privacy and don’t feel comfortable being in close proximity to other people for extended periods of time. This is especially true of people who have worked their whole lives in closed offices or cubicles, and suddenly feel exposed and uncomfortable when moved to an open office space.

How to Open Up Your Office Effectively

There are ways to navigate an open office that maximize the benefits and minimize the negatives, though. The first? Talk to your employees and see if they want an open office, and how they think you should do it. They are the ones who will be working in this space, after all. You should trust their input in the process.

Make Space(s)

While humans may crave privacy, helping employees create their own space or territory within an open office can mitigate this; even if it’s something as small as ensuring each employee has their own high-quality chair and a spot at the table they can claim as their own each day. You can build on this concept by encouraging employees to personalize their space with items from home, their own desk lamps, and other personalized decorations and office supplies. Creating several private or semi-private spaces within the open office for employees to use for phone calls, time away from the team, or other privacy needs can help, too.

Be Flexible

If and when you open up your office, recognize that productivity rates may seem to fall, but that it might not be a bad thing. A team in an open office might not look like they’re producing as much at the end of each day, but if you look at how they’re producing it, you might see a different story. Collaboration can take longer, but the results are often richer and better than products or ideas developed in isolation. Introduce new ways of communicating in the workplace — like using headphones to indicate unavailability, or specific times of the day for quiet work — to keep the distractions of an open office at bay. Ultimately, happy employees are productive employees. Respecting their needs and balancing those with your goals will help determine how to operate any office, including an open one. Spending the time, energy, and money on giving your employees a voice, quality equipment to do their job — and a motivating space to do it in — goes a long way to helping a company meet their goals. So is it time to open up your office? The answer for any business can be yes, if you’re willing to do it right! The Back Store sells both home and office supplies that are built for modern ergonomics and comfort. Check out our inventory online today.