Soundproof Office Pods for the Modern Workplace

Soundproof Office Pod

Here are facts about the downsides of open offices and how our portable soundproof office pods can provide a truly all-in-one solution that fits everyone.

Believe it or not, the open office was in vogue before cubicles. With it came the constant noise and lack of privacy that results from having no barriers or partitions.

Cubicles were the remedy to the open office, but with their own drawbacks: a lack of sunlight and the drabness of grey cubicle walls, plus communication problems between employees that would lead to unstable businesses.

Open offices made a comeback two decades ago for startups who wanted to participate in a new business model, with some company CEOs not even having private offices.

It was an attempt to bring employees together for collaboration and offered a modern office design style with an affordable upfront cost.

The popular belief was that the chaos would be positive and promote creativity. But new does not necessarily mean effective. Research has found that employees in such spaces experience negative effects to their well-being and productivity.

Reduction of Outside Noise

The ability to hear other employees' conversations and noise results in interruptions and distractions. A large open office has a typical noise level of 50 decibels, which is comparable to typing on a keyboard and almost enough to wake someone up from sleep.

Statistics confirm that the noise causes employees to lose their focus and have trouble getting back to their tasks quickly and fully. Berlin's Humboldt University showed it could take up to 23 minutes to restore focus after an interruption.

Such delays and frustrations are huge factors in meeting project deadlines, employee harmony, and business success. The open office is initially cheap but can cost employers up to three times as much over the long term.

A soundproof office pod prevents fellow employees from hearing you while you're inside it. And on the flip side, you'll hear next to nothing from your noisy office.

Increase in Personal & Group Privacy

Physical privacy also translates to psychological privacy. Besides being able to see and hear many coworkers in an open office, employees (especially introverts) feel that their coworkers can see or watch them.

You can put these folks at ease with a more flexible workplace design that includes huddle rooms or portable meeting pods.

Those feelings of self-consciousness and anxiety hinder communication between employees and clients, small groups of employees, and employees on their personal phone calls.

What about conference rooms? An open office with a few conference rooms works well for large group collaboration, but when smaller groups need quiet, conference rooms are too much. And not only are they limited in quantity as well as their design, but they cannot be moved.

Our office pods offer the physical privacy your employees need to complete their tasks as well as participate in small group meetings.

Soundproof Pods For Offices

Greater Productivity in Soundproof Office Pods

Some employees already enter the open office workspace with a level of hearing impairment, so they are at a disadvantage from the start.

Employees who are unable to hear well have issues being productive. It's also a fact that chronically high noise levels cause hearing loss over time for anyone.

Employees also face other risks from the open office's lack of partitions and soundproofing material.

They can experience health issues like high blood pressure, irritability, and sleep problems by working in the stressful environment of the open office.

Such issues weaken the immune system and cause illness, and sick employees are much less productive than their healthy counterparts. In fact, open-office employees take up to 62% more sick days.

An open office workspace also has immediate effects on workplace productivity by hindering employees' ability to recall information, analyze information, and even do basic arithmetic.

Their frustration at being unable to perform at their best is real:

ㆍ58% of high-performance employees say they need more quiet at work

ㆍ54% of high-performance employees find their workplace too distracting

ㆍ25-30% of open office employees are dissatisfied with the level of workplace noise

Another issue with the open office model is the possibility of employees socializing too much rather than being productive.

With only 10% of employees thinking "ease of interaction" with their coworkers is actually a problem, it's clear that there's not a large lack of communication and if there is, it's not because of an enclosed workspace.

While the new, young, or extroverted employees might do okay in an open office, the seniors, high-performing employees, creators, and introverts suffer in their performance.

That leads to higher turnover rates as work dissatisfaction increases. Soundproof office pods allow all your employees to be as productive as possible, whether as individuals or small groups.

Encouragement of Creativity

Creativity is one of the essential traits of successful businesses, especially for startup founders and entrepreneurs. Many employees in creative fields can attest that quiet and solitude are crucial to their concentration and their ability to come up with new concepts.

Imagine what it's like to forget about something you were about to say or write down because you were interrupted or distracted, and apply that to the office workplace.

Creativity is spontaneous and needs to be allowed to flow freely. It's not that there's necessarily a lack of creative employees, but open offices discourage them.

Some employees might attempt to block out noises by listening to music, which actually impairs their ability to complete verbal creative tasks. Using soundproof office pods gives creative employees the quiet and solitude they need to practice their talent.

In fact, some of the most successful national brands have combined an open office with our portable soundproof pods. To learn more about how Weworth can give your business the boost in productivity it needs, contact us here.