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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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When you work in an industry tied so closely to wood and steel, designing your new building in the “Mountain Modern/ Industrial” style is the perfect aesthetic. No one is happier about the new Wright Brothers building than its CEO, Zach Higgins. Leading the company since 2019, and recently named a 2024 CEO of Influence by the Idaho Business Review, Zach has helped guide the company to greater success while also introducing some great ram decor to the executive wing.

Founded in Rupert, Idaho in 1956, Wright Brothers Construction started in concrete and siding. Today, Wright Brothers has expanded into multifamily, retail, hospitality, and light industrial. They are licensed in eighteen different states with projects taking them as far as Boston, Massachusetts.

Wright Brothers Growth & New Building

Over the last few years, Wright Brothers has grown considerably. It now boasts one hundred and twenty employees (forty or so in the office) and generates around $120 million a year. Due to the company’s rapid growth, employees were smashed into their downtown Eagle office like sardines. While energy in that space was high, so were distractions. So, when the opportunity arose to construct a new office
building to hold its growing team, Wright Brothers jumped on it. The leadership chose to pursue a three-story building design with Glancey Rockwell & Associates giving them twenty-one thousand square feet of space.

They spent the lion’s share of the design time perfecting the layout. The leadership team sought to create a balance between planning for growth without making the building so large it felt deserted. With the help of Cailey Ostrowski at Create Spaces, and Camille Olsen at The Design House, they space-planned and chose functional furniture and rustic finishes that would foster energy and collaboration between three floors and multiple departments.

Culture Supporting Amenities

When they finally moved into the building, everyone was extremely excited and proud of their new office. “The culture changed immediately for the better,” says Zach. One amenity that has helped foster collaboration and camaraderie is a golf simulator adjacent to the team’s training room. While the simulator was added to support the enthusiasm of a few, many of the employees now use it. In fact, the simulator has become an integral part of the culture, enabling different departments to interact when they otherwise wouldn’t.

For that reason, one of Zach’s favorite places in the new building is the executive lounge. Like at the golf simulator, employees can connect with the leadership team and each other. Zach personally started as an intern and worked his way up through the company. Staying connected to his employees through this space ensures he hears different but important perspectives.

“The culture changed immediately for the better.”

-Zach Higgins
Wright Brothers CEO

His other favorite space is the first-floor training room. To stay on top of project details and keep its teams safe, Wright Brothers employs a full-time safety director, John Viernes. While Zach uses the training room to coordinate with different departments, John uses it to conduct important
safety training. As the first and only OSHA VPP contractor in Idaho and Region X, Wright Brothers also offers the training room and instructor-led classes to both employees and subcontractors making jobsites safer for everyone. Taking care of the client starts by taking care of your team.

The Importance of Community Involvement

While an incredible new office space helps with employee morale, Wright Brothers recognizes that community involvement also plays an important role. “Several members of the company serve as directors on various boards of nonprofit organizations, trustees for school districts, and more. “We believe
community involvement pays dividends from a holistic standpoint. At the end of the day, you can make all the money in the world and be a complete jerk that nobody wants to deal with. But if we can help support families and communities in a meaningful capacity, then we will encourage our employees to do that.”

“At Wright Brothers we try to be a partner beyond just the building side of the project.”

-Zach Higgins
Wright Brothers CEO

The Wright Brothers Approach To Business

Wright Brothers has seen a lot of success in their industry due to their community involvement and unique approach to working with clients. “At Wright Brothers, we try to be a partner beyond just the building side of the project. Our client has a vision for what they want, so we try to help them reach it within their budget by understanding their business. While problems arise that can delay construction, we will pivot or pull extra shifts if it will make a difference for our clients.”

Moving forward, Wright Brothers is excited to use their space to support their culture and empower their teams to take on more responsibility. “We have created an atmosphere where people can jump in and help. Everyone wants to see the company win so investing in furniture and amenities that help us retain those employees and provide a conducive work environment is going to help us continue to grow and better serve our clients.”

Work With Us

If you are a business or organization looking to create an exceptional space on time and budget, we would love to work with you! Create Spaces is your one stop shop for space planning, furniture selection, and audio-visual installation. Contact us today!

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In 2015, Chelsea Lavell was six weeks into her maternity leave with her first baby and got a call that would change her career forever. The UFC Corporate Headquarters project that had been on hold was back on and they wanted Chelsea. This project was personal for Chelsea due to the work she had already put into it. For KGA it had the potential to put them on the map in the world of interior design. Chelsea had a choice to make. She could either pass on the project and stay on maternity leave, or she could expedite her leave and finish the project that meant so much to her. With the help of the KGA partners a team of designers was hired to get to work.

Because of that choice, KGA went on to design the entire UFC campus. It also landed an incredible partnership with Caesars Entertainment. Today, KGA Architecture is known equally for its outstanding architectural work and fantastic interior design. Now a partner, Chelsea shares some of the firm’s history, recent projects, and plans.

KGA History & Recent Projects

KGA was founded in 1975 and its work encompasses hospitality, healthcare, civic, commercial, and education. Coming up on its 50th anniversary, the firm now boasts a team of 48 employees.

As to recent projects, Chelsea is particularly excited about a new casino they have designed with Caesars Entertainment and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. “The amazing thing about this project is we were called in October and returned 100% of the drawings by April.” That was six months to fully design the casino from the ground up.

This casino is a prime example of what KGA can do for its clients. “I’ve sat in so many interviews where the client says, ‘Show me that you’ve done this before.’ says Chelsea. “And I tell them, ‘We haven’t done that before. But we hadn’t done this other project before either and look how well it turned out.’ Just because there’s something that we haven’t done, that doesn’t mean we aren’t completely capable of creating something unique for our next client.”

“Our firm has a vast project portfolio which allows us to bring knowledge and distinctive design to our clients.”

Chelsea Lavell

Faith Lutheran & Caesars Entertainment

KGA is also working on the Faith Lutheran Crusader Technology Center, which will be a new STEM building on campus. This is just one of the buildings KGA has designed for the school. KGA has been fortunate enough to work with the Faith Lutheran community for over 20 years. This project speaks volumes about the quality of KGA’s work and the trust it has built among return clients.

One such return client is Caesars Entertainment. In 2015 KGA competed for a design project with
Caesars and won their business. Since then, Caesar’s has kept them very busy. One project of note is the Caesars Forum Convention Center which was the largest pillarless ballroom at the time. This was the first time KGA was awarded an interior design contract under another architect rather than the reverse.

What Makes KGA Unique

What makes KGA unique in the market is not only its diverse offerings in architecture and interior design among multiple markets but also its dedication to the client’s vision. As Chelsea says, “We’re not egotistical. We’re designing for you, not for us. That is why you can’t look at a building and say, ‘Oh, that was done by KGA.’”

Looking ahead to what they hope to accomplish soon, Chelsea shares, “We have a culture that we are very proud of that goes back to the roots of KGA. We have always been family-oriented, so each person has a life outside of work.” The way KGA is helping this work-life balance now is by facilitating a hybrid work environment. They require two days in the office per week and ask for consistency from week to week. “If you do your work and your clients are happy, I don’t need to see you across the table from me.”
Moving forward, Chelsea hopes she and the other principals can maintain that culture of trust that has led to such great retention for their team. Alongside that, they prioritize personal growth through
mentorship.” I was mentored by the generation before me to go after my goals. Now I get to continue that legacy and I think that is awesome.”

Finally, KGA is excited to take on new and challenging projects. No matter the client or project size, they are dedicated to remaining personable and letting their client’s vision drive their designs.

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According to recent findings conducted by Steelcase, there is a significant difference between a leader’s work experience and their employee’s. With so much recent workplace upheaval, it is no wonder employees are struggling to adjust to new workplace norms. In this article, we will discuss the disconnect between leaders and their employees and how they can take steps to improve employee wellbeing. 

When questioned about their feelings regarding work-life balance, health and energy levels, engagement with their work, and mental health, there is a significant gap between leaders and employees. 

While many factors contribute to this overall dissatisfaction with the workplace, here are a few that employees say are significant.   

So what can leaders do to help improve the well-being of their employees? Well, research suggests one of the best things leaders can do is to set an example for their employees. According to the Steelcase study, when leaders are in-person and visible in the office more often, things get better. 

By being visible and accessible to employees more often, leaders can have a significantly positive impact in their workplace.  

Regarding physical space, studies show that 80% of companies have reduced their office space. At the same time, they are also requiring employees to be in the office more often. This loss of space (shared workstations compared to “owned” stations) and subsequent loss of privacy is frustrating for employees. Especially considering they who spend most of their time doing individual work that requires privacy. Since most leaders enjoy a private office, they may not experience the distractions and interruptions employees face in open offices. As a leader, it is important to recognize that your employees have different space needs too. Do your best to create places for quiet collaboration and privacy.  

Privacy Solutions for Employee Well-Being

Some great ways to provide auditory privacy are with acoustic solutions like sound clouds and panels. These work well in problem areas and the addition of sound masking significantly reduces distractions.   

As to visual privacy, adding screens and hoods around and between workstations helps eliminate distractions.   

Finally, adding phone booths or studio pods would provide flexible spaces for individuals or teams to have confidential conversations. They also take up less square footage than a traditional conference room. 

Ultimately, different people have different work styles. By providing a variety of furniture solutions that support different postures, leaders can help their employees be more productive when they are in the office. Studies show that when employees feel like their leaders are considering their needs, their feeling of well-being increases by 22%. In this case, simply taking the step to ask employees what they want makes a huge difference.   

Create spaces where your employees want to work and see the difference it can make for your company. 

Work With Us

Create Spaces is the expert in space planning and furniture selection. If you are interested in finding solutions for a smaller office footprint, contact us today! We specialize in creating exceptional spaces on time and on budget.

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Thirty years ago, Bluberi was a small company in Drummondville, Quebec creating games for slot machines. Today, it is a complete slot machine manufacturer and game designer with 200 employees throughout the US and Canada. It wasn’t until 2022 that the company began its rapid growth. The combination of coupling tenured industry leaders with the already talented Bluberi team was the recipe to begin seeing substantial success. Here to tell us all about their rapid growth and new office in Las Vegas is Chief Operating Officer, Steve Kohon.

20,000 s.f. office and warehouse to 85,000 s.f.

While Steve started at Bluberi in the sales department, he now oversees the operations, service and IT teams. So, when the team began to outgrow their building, he was the one best suited to help them relocate. “Our previous space was 20,000 s.f. which included the warehouse and the office. As we grew it became a struggle to support our production in the warehouse and team members in the office.” They eventually resorted to shared desks and specific in-office days for office staff. To remedy the problem Bluberi found an 85,000 s.f. space and decided to invest in all new furniture and equipment. As Steve says, “Our team members deserve the best of the best.” After releasing an RFP and entertaining multiple companies, Create Spaces won the deal.

“Our team members deserve the best of the best.”

-Steve Kohon, COO

Vision: Create a place to be proud of

The Bluberi management team wanted to create a place where all the team members would be proud to work. Therefore, the floor plan was designed to help teams interact with each other and further their culture of collaboration. “The space is designed like a racetrack with the executive leaders sitting with their teams rather than being locked away in a secret hallway. There are also no silos between
departments, and everyone’s voice is heard. I think that company culture is what sets us apart.”

“It has truly taken a village to make all this happen…”

-Steve Kohon, COO

Designing a space that supports the culture

Where the previous Bluberi office had rooms pulling double-duty, they now have plenty of spaces for all their needs with technology that makes it easy to schedule. Not only is the space more functional, but it is also very colorful with bright blues and pinks livening up the environment and reflecting the brand’s playful colors. As the employees settle into their new office good things are happening. No more sharing desks, rather, everyone has a dedicated workspace. The teams are seeing great ideas coming out of everyone being in the office together. “I didn’t realize how much went into all of this when I took on the project. It has truly taken a village to make all this happen and Denisse and the Create Spaces team have done a great job.”

Following their core values into future success

With everyone back in the office and collaboration at a high, Bluberi is excited for the future. “One of our company core values is ‘Celebrate Wins But Never Satisfied.’ the other is ‘It’s A Team Sport’. So, this office is definitely a win, but now we want to take it to the next level and do what we set out to do.”

Work With Us

If you are a business or organization looking to create an exceptional space on time and budget, we would love to work with you! Create Spaces is your one stop shop for space planning, furniture selection, and audio-visual installation. Contact us today!

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Message From The President

A gap exists between leaders’ perceived well-being at work and employees’ well-being. According to the recent Steelcase work study, leaders are almost twice as likely (as employees) to feel better about their work-life balance, energy, engagement, and mental health. So how do leaders bridge the gap and help employees feel as well at work as they do? Let’s focus in on the singular topic of engagement for a moment—I feel like this one is the key to improving wellbeing across the board.

Two key traditional HR questions that drive engagement are the following:

1. Do I know what my job is, do I have a clear, written job description?
2. Do I have the right tools and training to do my job?

For some reason leaders and ownership are better at answering the above two questions for themselves—but not as good at doing this with employees. So how do organizations get better? Here is a simple step in the right direction. Ask your employees the above two questions—do a survey. It’s easy. You can do it with Office 365 (there is a handy app called Forms) or you can do it with a survey using Survey Monkey or something else similar. Make it department-specific but anonymous, that way employees feel more comfortable sharing without fear of being singled out. Once you have the results, review them with the leadership team and then pick an item or two each quarter to work on. Keep track of your survey results and over time you will see progress.

Good luck, I hope you can reduce the Employee – Leader gap at your organization.

Scott Galloway

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Traditional meeting rooms have served businesses well, but it is time to move to modern hybrid spaces. Discover more in this comparison of the two.

Having an up-to-date AV system is essential to your business’s long-term success. Discover when and why you should modernize your business’s AV system.