An open office can prompt collaboration—or awkward silence. When employees have nowhere to work privately, it’s time for a new look at workplace design.
Everyone needs to communicate or work privately at some point during office hours, whether it’s taking a call from their child’s school, reading confidential client emails or brainstorming the next big business idea.
Unfortunately, the sense that someone might be looking—or listening—over one’s shoulder can never really be shaken in some open offices, which account for more office space than any other kind in the U.S. With employee workspace often limited to a single low-walled cubicle, it’s little wonder that many employees end up taking their private affairs to the stairwell, kitchen, or even the bathroom.
In addition to sheer discomfort, this kind of environment can actually stifle engagement, says Bernice Boucher, Managing Director in JLL’s Strategic Consulting group: “The lack of privacy at work is a clear crime against productivity. Enlightened organizations are recognizing that it’s a win-win to treat privacy as a right, not a privilege.”