A survey of 2000 workers in the UK has revealed that people find difficulties concentrating and are not satisfied with their privacy. Almost 80% of those surveyed work in open plan or shared offices. When asked what they thought about the current acoustic environment in their office, more than half of respondents (54%) said working in an open-plan workspace sometimes makes it difficult for them to concentrate and do their job.
Paige Hodsman, office concept developer UK, comments: “If workers are regularly disturbed by noise it will undoubtedly have a negative impact on their concentration, causing employers to lose hours a week in reduced performance and productivity”.
Two thirds (61%) of those surveyed are also bothered by the lack of privacy that open-plan offices provide, with a further 42% of respondents claiming that they don’t have access to private or quiet rooms at all. With more than half of respondents (52%) spending more than 40% of their time on concentrated tasks, 51% also say that they get disturbed by other teams.
Paige Hodsman also stated: “Open plan offices are by far the most established way of working but there’s always been controversy surrounding the impact this type of design has on workers. If workers are regularly disturbed by noise it will undoubtedly have a negative impact on their concentration, causing employers to lose hours a week in reduced performance and productivity.
More info here: http://technews.tmcnet.com/news/2013/03/08/6978105.htm
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