Monthly Archives: August 2024

In today’s office environments where footprints continue to shrink, distractions are an ever-present challenge. Despite the modern advancements designed to enhance productivity, employees often find themselves battling interruptions that hinder their focus and efficiency. Understanding the negative impact of these distractions and implementing strategies to counteract them is essential for fostering a productive and healthy workplace. 

The Toll of Distractions on Productivity 

Distractions at work can have a profound impact on productivity. Research shows that employees lose up to 720 work hours per year due to distractions, equating to nearly three full work weeks of lost productivity annually. After being distracted, it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully refocus on the original task. This time lost to distractions accumulates, significantly reducing overall productivity and efficiency. 

Multitasking, a common result of frequent distractions, leads to a 40% drop in productivity. Furthermore, distracted employees are twice as likely to make mistakes, which not only affects the quality of their work but also contributes to feelings of overwhelm and stress. Constant interruptions can lead to burnout, creating a cycle of decreased productivity and mental well-being. 

The Organizational Impact 

For organizations, the cumulative effect of distractions translates to substantial financial losses. Excessive noise levels alone can hinder concentration and reduce productivity by up to 66%. Coworker interruptions and poorly designed workspaces exacerbate the issue, leading to increased errors, stress, frustration, and reduced creativity. These factors not only impact individual employees but also hinder overall organizational performance. 

Common Workplace Distractions 

• Noise: Excessive noise levels disrupt concentration, reducing productivity and increasing stress. 

• Coworker Interruptions: Brief interruptions can disrupt workflow, requiring significant time to regain focus and leading to increased errors and stress. 

• Poorly Designed Workspaces: Lack of privacy, sound insulation, and ergonomic considerations can cause constant interruptions, physical discomfort, and decreased focus. 

Strategies to Combat Distractions 

Organizational Strategies 

• Dedicated Focus Time: Organizations can help by establishing specific times when employees can work uninterrupted, fostering an environment of deep focus and productivity. 

• Open Office Layout Considerations: By implementing soundproof booths, sound masking, acoustic panels, or quiet zones, organizations can minimize noise and create areas for focused work. 

• Employee Well-Being Programs: On the mental health side, organizations can support their employees by offering stress management workshops and wellness initiatives to improve overall focus and well-being. 

Individual Strategies 

• Create a Focused Workspace: Employees can take matters into their own hands by organizing their workspace to be free from clutter and using noise-canceling headphones to block out environmental noise. 

• Time Management Techniques: Employing methods like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working in focused 25-minute bursts, can enhance concentration. 

• Digital Detox: If employees find themselves increasingly distracted, they can schedule specific times for checking emails and social media to avoid constant interruptions. 

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Whether at their desk, on a walk, or in a wellness room, employees can practice mindfulness and meditation to improve their focus and reduce stress. 

• Clear Communication: By clearly communicating thier work hours and availability to colleagues, employees can minimize interruptions. 

Office Solutions to Reduce Distractions 

Sound Masking 

Sound masking has proven benefits in reducing distractions and enhancing focus. It effectively masks unwanted noise, leading to fewer interruptions and improved concentration. Additionally, it enhances speech privacy, making conversations less intelligible and reducing overall noise levels. This contributes to higher employee satisfaction, improved privacy, and increased productivity. 

Acoustic Panels 

Acoustic panels are widely used to reduce noise reverberation and maintain confidentiality in various settings, such as offices, studios, and classrooms by absorbing, blocking, and covering noise. They can also provide visual privacy in open offices, creating defined spaces without complete physical separation. This helps to create a quieter and more focused work environment. 

Reservable Focus Rooms 

Focus rooms offer employees control over their work environment, which is highly valued. These rooms provide a quiet escape from interruptions, allowing for improved concentration and cognitive performance. They also contribute to enhanced well-being by reducing stress and providing a space for uninterrupted focus. Making these focus rooms reservable provides in-office and hybrid employees much needed control over their work environment. 

Conclusion 

Distractions at work can significantly impact productivity, mental health, and organizational performance. By understanding the negative effects of distractions and implementing strategies to mitigate them, both organizations and individuals can create a more focused, productive, and healthy work environment. Embracing solutions such as sound masking, acoustic panels, and reservable focus rooms, along with fostering good organizational and individual practices, can lead to a significant improvement in workplace well-being and efficiency. 

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In today’s corporate world, desk jobs are the norm, often requiring long hours of sedentary work. This lifestyle, while sometimes unavoidable, poses significant health risks. However, integrating active movement and exercise into your workday can counteract these negative effects, fostering a healthier and more productive workplace. Here’s why and how you can be more active. 

The Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle 

Increased Risk of Heart Disease Prolonged sitting is linked to higher blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and larger waist circumference, all of which increase the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that desk job workers have a 2.2% higher risk of cardiovascular disease over a 10-year period compared to those with more active jobs. 

Obesity and Mortality Risks Daily sitting time significantly impacts your health. For every additional two hours of sitting, there’s a 5% increase in the risk of obesity and a 7% increase in mortality risk. Over 12 years, those who sit for prolonged periods have a 1.4 times higher risk of premature death. 

Musculoskeletal Disorders Prolonged sitting can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain, neck pain, and joint stiffness. These issues can significantly impact your quality of life and productivity at work. 

Encouraging Movement in the Workplace 

Fortunately, having a desk job does not have to sentence someone to poor health forever. In fact, there are many ways companies and employees can take their health into their own hands. 

On-Site Facilities Many companies recognize the importance of health and wellness for their employees and seek to help by providing on-site facilities. Gyms, fitness classes, and recreational areas can encourage employees to take breaks and engage in physical activity. 

Walking Meetings Employees can make a difference in their health (and often their productivity) by transforming their traditional sit-down meetings into walking meetings. This simple change not only promotes physical activity but also can enhance creativity and reduce stress. 

Corporate Competitions Introducing corporate competitions that recognize and reward employees who consistently engage in a wellness activities can foster a culture of health and fitness. These competitions can be fun and motivating, encouraging everyone to participate. Companies can start small with a simple step competition. Whether it is a challenge for a week or for a month, engaging in a corporate competition can give employees the motivation they need to improve their health, build good habits, and stay active. 

Easy Desk Exercises 

Exercise can happen at your desk too! Incorporating simple exercises into your workday can make a significant difference. Here are a few to get you started: 

1. Seated Leg Raises 

• How: Sit up straight in your chair and extend one of your legs forward at a time, holding it for a could of five or ten seconds. Do a few reps of this throughout your workday. 

• Benefits: Strengthens the quadriceps and improves circulation in your legs. 

2. Chair Dips 

• How: Find a stationary chair (doing this on a chair with wheels is a recipe for disaster). Sit at the edge of your chair and place your hands beside your hips.  Slide off the edge of your chair and lower your body by bending your elbows. Push back up. Do as many reps as your are able and slowly increase them over time. 

• Benefits: Targets triceps and improves upper body strength. 

3. Neck Stretches 

• How: Cross your arms behind your back and gently roll your head from one side to the other stretching out your neck muscles. 

• Benefits: Relieves tension and reduces the risk of neck strain. 

4. Seated Torso Twist 

• How: Sitting upright, place your right hand on the back of the chair, twist your torso to the right, hold, then repeat on the left side. 

• Benefits: Enhances spinal mobility and relieves back tension. 

5. Standing Calf Raises 

• How: Stand and hold onto the desk for support and raise your heels off the ground before slowly lowering them back down. You can do this quickly or slowly depending on your preference. 

• Benefits: Strengthens calf muscles and boosts circulation. 

Making Movement a Habit 

In addition to desk exercises, consider integrating other habits into your workday so you get up and move: 

• Taking the Stairs: Opt for stairs over elevators whenever possible to stay active.  

• Take a lap: When you feel like you need a break, take a lap around the office before returning to your desk. 

• Standing Desks: Alternate between sitting and standing to reduce prolonged sitting. 

Products That Improve Health 

A BIFMA certified height adjustable desk 

What is BIFMA? 

BIFMA sets the standards for furniture safety, performance, and sustainability standards that impact people’s lives. 

A BIFMA certified height adjustable desk ranges from 22.6”-48.7”. With this range, the desk supports a resting elbow height of as low as the 5th percentile of women and as high as the 95th percentile of men. Comparatively, a height adjustable desk with a basic range does not accommodate the resting elbow height of 95% of women and 50% of men. When the desk is in full standing position, 30% of men are not accommodated. This translates to poor posture, tension in the neck and shoulders, and an increased chance for pain. When it comes to choosing a height adjustable desk, you don’t want basic, you want BIFMA! 

Moving Forward 

By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you can significantly reduce the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Encouraging active movement and exercise in the workplace not only benefits individual health but also enhances overall productivity and well-being. 

Let’s embrace a culture of movement and wellness, making our workdays healthier and more dynamic. Start today with these simple steps and inspire others to join you on the path to a healthier lifestyle. 

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charcuterie board

Why access to privacy solutions is critical in today’s workplace.

Hybrid work is taxing our brains in new ways. We’re having to think ahead and make all sorts of decisions we didn’t have to prior to the proliferation of hybrid work. Should I book a space for a meeting? Do I have work that requires individual focus time? If I’m in meetings are the participants in-office, remote or both? What if I don’t have an assigned space, is it okay to take a video call in the open? If I have workspace, will I distract others if I do virtual meetings there?

All of these questions connect closely to what people want most in the workplace now, according to new Steelcase research. Employees in 11 countries ranked privacy #1 on their list. Spaces for wellbeing are a close second. No surprise, say researchers. The ability to access privacy and find places in the office that help us think and feel better are woven tightly together.

New Motivations

To better understand the new demands and motivations surrounding hybrid work, Steelcase researchers in Europe and Asia conducted interviews, diary studies and surveys with hundreds of employees and what they found is relevant around the world.

“What’s new is just how many meetings are taking place that add to the distractions in the workplace. People tell us they don’t have enough options for privacy, especially as more workplaces shift away from owned workspaces and toward more shared individual spaces,” says Andrada losif, Steelcase WorkSpace Futures researcher.

Three privacy factors

Whether consciously or subconsciously, three factors influence when people seek out more privacy.

What’s around me?

People evaluate the types of space available. How much privacy their personal work space provides. How many people are nearby and what company culture suggests about taking meetings in an open space.

What am I doing?

Employees consider how much they need to focus on any given task. How confidential is the work? Can I be interrupted? How long is the meeting? What technology do I need? Is the conversation personal?

How do I feel?

Preferences, self-awareness and mood also influence people. Some days people need a breather or to get “off stage” when situated in a space where others can see and hear. Other people get energized being near colleagues.

Designers say people need a range of privacy solutions everyone can access to give people more control over the stimulation around them based on the cognitive demands of what they’re doing. Options should include spaces with acoustic, visual and territorial privacy.

Privacy is both personal and contributes to productivity. It enables focus, connection with others and rejuvenation. By giving everyone – no matter their role – access to different kinds of private spaces. The workplace can do a better job of supporting how people feel and the work they need to do throughout each day.

Privacy gives people time to self-reflect and process information and ideas, or thoughts and feelings. Giving people control over their privacy, gives them access to ways to create boundaries and a sense of self-control which can help people manage their mental wellbeing, especially on high-stress days.”

Andrada losif: Steelcase Workspace Futures Researcher

A Range of Privacy Solutions

Less Control and Demand

People are more likely to choose an individual space in the open when their work requires less focus or lower cognitive command, like a call they are listening to, sending a few emails, or when you are on the receiving end of an information share-out. Boundaries like screens, and framing or shielding elements help denote someone’s territory and limit distractions, such as people walking in the background or other interruptions.

Moderate Control and Demand

There’s a middle ground, too. People may be willing to be seen, but not heard, or vice versa. Or they may want to stay accessible to their teams, but signal that they are working on something that requires heads down time. Semi-enclosed spaces are a good option for this kind of work, giving people a place that limits distractions yet lets them be near teammates.

High Control and Demand

People seek greater levels of privacy when they have highly confidential work, need to focus deeply or need some respite – things that require more mental acuity or feel control over everyday workplace distractions. In these kinds of moments, employees are most likely to reserve a space that gives them more acoustic and visual privacy.

Read more about creating privacy in small offices here.

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A noticeable trend has taken hold of the business world. According to a recent study, 88% of businesses require employees to be in the office more while synonymously shrinking their office space. 80% of companies have already reduced their square footage while 75% are planning further reductions. While leaders may see downsizing their space to be more economically sustainable and conducive to a hybrid work model, they should proceed with caution. If not done correctly, changes to a space can have detrimental effects on employee well-being and productivity.

One of the major drawbacks to downsizing office space is a loss of productivity due to decreased
privacy. While open office environments allow companies to seat more employees, they are
statistically more distracting with employees wasting between 21.5-86 minutes daily due to distractions. Constant noise is also mentally taxing which leads to decreased productivity, physical ailments, and employee burnout.

Solutions for Small Offices

If you are one of the 80% of businesses looking to downsize, here are three great ways to provide privacy and improve productivity in small offices:

Phone Booths

Soundproof phone booths are an excellent solution for loud, distracting offices. Whether an employee needs to make a personal call or a quiet space for a virtual meeting, phone booths provide accessible privacy without taking up much real estate.

Pods

These ventilated, stand-alone rooms provide a place for small teams to collaborate, brainstorm, and have important discussions without distractions. Just like the phone booths, they have a small footprint and can be placed anywhere on your floor plan.

Flexible Furniture

Flexible furniture with attached or standing acoustic panels fits in small spaces and
provide visual and verbal privacy. By also using height-adjustable desks on casters, employees have the freedom to move their worksurface to meet their needs.

We Can Help!

Create Spaces is the expert in space planning and furniture selection. If you are interested in finding solutions to create privacy in small offices, contact us today!

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