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DECISIONS, DECISIONS

GET SOME PRIVACY

We like to encourage “out of the box” thinking. In fact, we like to get REALLY out of the box, as in, all the way out of the building. We are convinced that curtains are not just for living rooms or bedrooms…or even just for windows. We think curtains can be on the move.

There has been a push in recent years for “open workspaces” in the corporate world. This type of workspace puts lots of employees in one large room with little, if anything, to separate each employee from the next; much like a 1960s newsroom, minus the clacking typewriters. The idea is that this environment will encourage collaboration and allow the company to be more creative and productive. A recent New Yorker blog highlights some research that indicates the reality is quite different. Open workspaces are noisy and privacy is lacking. These conditions lead to distracted, less productive, less satisfied employees. Health may even be affected as workers in an open workspace tend to take more sick days than those in an individual office.