One of the problems with working in an office is that people who don’t like being crowded can become stressed as more people enter a room. Now people’s idea of space and how they feel about being crowded comes from individual preferences, gender and cultural background. As examples below:
- If a room has high ceilings or mirrors on the wall, as well being brighter and lighter, people will feel less crowded in it as people come into the room. But in those conditions, men will feel more crowded than women because men tend to have better peripheral vision.
- If a person works in a high-rise building on the lower floors, they are more likely to feel crowded then someone who works on the upper stories and has better access to daylight and better views.
To reduce these feelings of being crowded, furniture is used along with pillars, decorative items or plants. This can prevent people from becoming distracted in a room or feeling crowded as more people come into a room. Also, to prevent this feeling among employees, they can be assigned to individual Team Stations with their own private spots to do that which is needed of them too.
Why Team Stations by Teknion
To help reduce the effect that having too many people in too small of a space creates, you can have the openings of your employees’ work stations positioned so that their view of other co-workers is minimized. Because when working in an office today, an employee needs to be able to concentrate as well collaborate without distractions as life is faster paced today. With a private work station though, this allows employee a choice of when to concentrate and when to talk with other co-workers.
Teknion sells these kinds of work stations called team stations. With these Team Stations by Teknion there is a file pedestal per each station. They have upholstered wall panels which makes things a little quieter with noise, as well as laminated work surfaces and a monitor arm to hold screens in each station. These stations are sold in pods of four with dimensions of 5’x5’x51” tall for seating privacy. A choice of fabrics is offered such as India Poona Fabric and Peru Casma Accent Fabric with white Matrix laminate and platinum paint.
Now everyone of your employees is different, and the perfect working environment is one which gives employees the choice dealing with how much stimulation they are subjected to. Also, having an office that still has places for employees to take breaks to either socialize or take 5-minute breathers is optimal. The 5-minute breather is not a traditional break. It is when team members can go off by themselves to think about the next step in a private setting.
Strategies in the workplace
Not all your employees are alike, some can work in a lot of busy confusion and some can’t. So, the proper work setting will help to support the many work functions your employees do and the environment that they can do their work in. So, providing different zones for different work functions can be helpful for your employees:
If the work is focused: Have spaces for concentrated work such as the Team Stations, or provide quiet zones for employees who are concentrating.- Collaboration among employees: Provide settings which are diverse for small group collaborations on projects and tasks.
- Learning always: You can make your business an educational environment which supports mentoring and learning. This can be done by providing in-person, one-on-one learning and e-learning.
- Socializing spaces for co–workers: If you provide informal spaces which can be used for both work as well as casual conversation, this will also foster innovation and informal collaboration.
- Provide the technology: When employees are in their Team Stations, provide headsets that have white noise or sound masking options so that employees can focus on important work
- Have teams: By using the Team Stations of four pods or more, you can create a team neighborhood, giving the feeling of team unity and a sense of place. This reinforces among your workers employee engagement and fosters the exchanging of ideas.
By giving your employees their own personal spaces as well as an area to collaborate when needed, you will have a better functioning team or teams of employees in your organization.
Reference:
https://nationalofficeinteriors.com/product/5-x-5-leverage-team-stations-by-teknion-sold-in-pods/
https://www.wbdg.org/resources/changing-nature-organizations-work-and-workplace
