The office used to be a place that millions of people flocked to each workday, and there wasn’t much question about it. However, since employees worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent “great resignation,” companies have struggled to draw employees back into the office.
Many employees like being able to control their work environments at home and are resistant to returning to traditional office buildings. Business leaders must find ways to make the office more attractive — a more private, controlled environment that allows employees to balance collaboration and concentration. Office privacy window film might be an effective and economical solution for you and your employees.
The Unexpected Effects of The Open Office
Companies have utilized open floor plans for over a century, with the first modern office opening in New York in 1906. The design became increasingly popular as office-based jobs surged and has evolved ever since. Office furniture manufacturers continue to innovate their designs to offer employers optimal workspaces.
While they may boast increased collaboration and productivity, research shows that an open office can have the opposite effect: a study by Harvard Business Review found that after firms switched to more open offices, face-to-face interactions fell by roughly 70%. People are trying to compensate for increased distraction.
Of course, employers want to empower collaboration. However, most office redesigns start with the objective of maximizing real estate costs, with team collaboration as a hopeful byproduct.
Unfortunately, the drawbacks of an open office can offset financial gains. The design concept has earned a bad reputation, as employees feel exposed and frustrated by distractions. Without walls or partitions, computer screens and movements are visible to the whole office floor. Distractions disrupt trains of thought and obstruct creativity. Sensitive and confidential information is at risk of being viewed by nearby employees, contractors, customers, and office guests. People want to work in a thoughtfully designed place to help them be productive.
Balance Between Concentration and Collaboration
Did you know that our brains are designed to toggle between tasks for survival? As helpful as that natural instinct may be in the wild, it is not needed in the office. Instead, it is quite counter-productive to what is needed: concentration.
Many employees enjoy the benefits of working from home, finding it easier to focus on tasks with fewer physical, visual, and audible disruptions from colleagues. Others prefer working at an office in proximity to others, but undisrupted blocks of focus are still vital to their daily work.
The harder people work collaboratively, the more they will need a safe place to retreat. Psychologists attest that “privacy regulation is necessary for intimate communication with others and it allows us to maintain a sense of control, autonomy, self-identity, and well-being.” Assuming you can’t provide a multitude of individual, private offices, you must think creatively about how to achieve the right balance between private and shared settings.
Benefits of Privacy Window Film
How people prefer to work has evolved, and office designers are working to adapt their designs accordingly. Employers can lay out their workplaces with distinct zones suited to different types of work: quiet concentration corners, connect and collaboration hubs, and confidential conference rooms. This approach allows people to interact in the right ways at the right time.
Privacy window film is an excellent choice for business leaders and building owners to create these types of adaptable boundaries. It is an adhesive applied to glass surfaces that comes in a variety of designs, including one that can switch between opaque and transparent as needed.
When applied to glass walls around workstations, it can protect computer screens and peripheral views, giving employees a sense of privacy and peace of mind to work freely. It can shield sun glares while allowing an area to look bright, not bogged down by solid walls.
Companies can extend the interior design to the exterior by applying privacy film to the outside windows, too. Exterior film can replace unsightly shades or blinds, protect against vandalism and sun damage, and reduce energy and cooling costs.
Elevate Your Workplace
As it’s often said, sometimes, “it’s the little things.” At a time when it’s difficult to distinguish yourself from competing employers, we can help you elevate and modernize your workplace for employees with the easy installation of window film.
