Many of the largest and most successful companies have embraced the open office layout plan, and with good reason too. Open offices are proven to improve collaboration, increase employee connections, and can even save companies money in the long run. However, for all of the benefits the open office can provide a company’s employees with, they’re still not for everyone.
With that in mind, here are some simple and practical walls to provide employee privacy without needing to sacrifice the perks of an open workspace.
Dividing and Modular Walls
Traditional cubicle setups can be isolating and exclusionary, making it needlessly difficult for individual employees to interact, collaborate, and generally feel in-touch with the company they work for. Open workplace setups, however, can sometimes be overwhelming, as there aren’t clear boundaries for employees to abide by.
To strike a balance between these two extremes, try implementing dividing or modular walls in-between desks and across the workplace. These shorter walls can provide each employee with a sense of personal space that belongs exclusively to them, but it does so without isolating them from their coworkers, as the shortness of the walls means they can still easily communicate with one another.
Privacy Window Films
Another option at your disposal is the privacy provided by privacy window film. Office Interiors says, “the privacy concern does not come from within the office. In an open office floor plan, you need your team to feel comfortable working together. Peering eyes from outside the office could compromise that.”
Privacy films come in a variety of styles and can be fully tinted, fully frosted, or tinted and frosted as a gradient. Regardless of the style you decide on, they will effectively obscure people’s vision without blocking out any external light.
These window films don’t just create privacy, however. The most innovative films, like LINTEC of America’s VisionControlFilm, are scratch-resistant, environmentally friendly, protect against UV light, and can even block the view from specific angles while still allowing for visibility at other angles.
Accommodating Productive Privacy
The best companies are the ones who can effectively find a balance between the cooperative capabilities of the open office and the personal preferences of those employees who function better in their own personal, more private spaces. There’s no universal solution to accomplish this balance, of course, but with the right tools and the right mindset, you can design a workplace that provides for the needs of your employees and the company at large.
