Modern Office Partitions And Employee Productivity

The open office is the most preferred workplace layout today. Time and again, it has been realized that an open workspace culture, where employees can interact freely, promotes a collaborative approach and boosts creativity. Indeed, the removal of partitioned cubicles has helped employees come closer and develop a healthy understanding of one another’s work. However, what remains neglected in an open office is the consideration of the variety of working styles that must coexist in harmony. A few introvert employees still believe that they can concentrate better in privacy. This disparity in personal attitude hampers the overall productivity of an organization.

Here are five tricks which can help eliminate the cons of an open office culture and enhance the productivity of every employee. 

1. Portable office furniture and temporary partitions

Office furniture should give employees the liberty to choose their own working modes. Movable office furniture allows employees to customize their workstation, either to create a personal space or a team zone, where small meetings can be held without the intervention of external personnel. Such personal spaces can also be created using temporary office partitions and can be easily disassembled after the purpose has been served.

2. Seating furniture alternatives

Rows of symmetrical working chairs might look uniform, but such a seating arrangement might induce monotony in several employees. Moreover, sitting in a fixed position for a long time can give rise to various health issues. Thus, offices should introduce alternative seating arrangements like kneeling chairs and yoga balls to contribute to the improved creativity and productivity of the employees.

3. Personalized work desks

Although an open office layout is expected to boost creativity, standardized rows of desks might restrict the creative output of certain individuals. Offices need to make provisions to facilitate employees to organize their own work-desks with elements of the personal like family photographs, wallpapers etc. Organizing one’s work-space according to individual taste has a positive impact on the comfort level of an employee

4. Common areas for refreshments

Offices should make provisions for adequate common areas for the employees to spend some stress-free moments and also informally socialize with one another. The offices should consider creating comfortable lounging areas with facilities like coffee machines and stress-buster games for the employees to take some time out of their work and refresh their minds.

5. Natural illumination

Working under artificial lighting for long hours during the daytime might make certain individuals feel miserable. On the other hand, natural light enhances the mood and increases productivity. Offices need to facilitate the exposure of employees to natural light, which is not very difficult in an open office layout, with modern office partitions either being removed or made of glass. 

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