Canadian HR Reporter Weekly

3 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018 August 15, 2018 do more of the heads-down kind of work without interruption." But a lack of sound can also be a problem. "Silence can be distracting if the open nature of the space causes people to be too quiet," said Gale Moutrey, vice-president of communications for office furniture and design company Steelcase. A too-quiet office means everyone will hear your conversations and phone calls. In fact, a 2013 study from the University of Sydney found that a lack of sound privacy was the biggest drain on morale. In response to both of those issues, some companies choose to pipe in white noise, sound-masking technology, or even nature sounds to make it harder to hear — or overhear — other conversations. Other organizations encourage employees to use headphones to either listen to their own white noise or music, or to cancel out surrounding distractions. At Collage HR, for example, new employees are given noise-cancelling headphones when they're onboarded. "Wearing headphones is a social cue," said Charron. "If someone is wearing headphones, you generally don't go up and ask them a question. You save it for later or send them an email instead." Employees have struck a balance between wearing headphones, working at home or in a closed-door office when they need to focus, and at other times, working more closely and collaboratively with colleagues. "Occasionally, there'll be a lively sales conversation or something like that, but it's just an accepted disturbance once in a while," she said. "It's not an everyday situation and no one is really bothered by it." Creating spaces for collaboration and privacy But when balance isn't struck, and employees wear head- phones most of the time, there can be a drop in face-to- face interactions that's ultimately bad for business, ac- cording to the Harvard Business School study. A more comprehensive solution might be a working environment that's not 100 per cent open concept, "a range of spaces that compliments the open-plan areas," said Moutrey. But not enough employers are providing it: A 2017 survey by MSNBC found 58 per cent of high- performing employees said they need more private spaces for problem-solving, and 54 per cent said they find their office environment "too distracting." "We would recommend that the open concept consist of a variety of spaces that also allows users the ability to focus or concentrate without distraction when working alone or working as a team," said Moutrey. "Open-office concepts can effectively encourage collaboration and communication, but only when they offer this range of spaces and allow employees choice and control over where they choose to work, depending on what kind of work they are doing." Making it work is isn't the first piece of research critical of the open- plan workspace, but some studies offer a more positive spin. A 2016 study out of the University of Queensland in Australia, for example, found open-plan offices helped engineering teams work on specific projects better. Making an open-plan office work depends on careful research and planning, said Bernstein. "When you're considering a change to a physical work environment, the more you can ask questions about how this will impact human behaviours, the better." "Most architects I know would welcome a more thoughtful dialogue on these issues that didn't start and end with cost per square foot." en, "Ask the people who'll be working in that space to be painfully honest with you. Find out when they're at their most productive and look into what environmental factors support that — and that will provide a good base for your design." e biggest misstep organizations make is not considering the need for individuals and teams to be free from distraction when required, said Moutrey. "Privacy isn't always about four walls and a door, as there are varying degrees of privacy that people seek during the day depending on the work they are doing, and these can be addressed by products designed for that purpose, as well as the overall architecture." e most successful designs start by considering the experience from the employees' perspective. "e companies we work with are interested in designing for the well-being of their employees — their physical well-being, as well as emotional and cognitive well-being," said Moutrey. Employees perform better when they can try out new ideas and approaches within certain zones of privacy, said Bernstein. "By balancing transparency and privacy, organizations can encourage just the right amount of 'deviance' to foster innovative behaviour and boost productivity." Melissa Campeau is a Toronto-based freelance writer. There are varying degrees of privacy that people seek, depending on the work they are doing." Credit: xieyuliang (Shutterstock) A too-quiet office means everyone can hear each other's conversations and phone calls. A 2013 study from the University of Sydney found that a lack of sound privacy was the biggest drain on morale.

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