Designing for Focus: Why Quiet Spaces Matter
What’s the most important design element for a modern office? According to our recent poll, the top answer was clear: Quiet Focus Areas.
Designing for Focus: Why Quiet Spaces Matter
What’s the most important design element for a modern office space?
“Quiet Focus Areas”
Employees heading back to the office are flocking to Quiet Focus Areas, probably to avoid overhearing your neighbor’s daily life updates. But seriously, recent research confirms quiet zones significantly boost productivity (up to 15%) and job satisfaction (up to 23%) by cutting down on the stress from open-office distractions (Gensler, 2020; Oxford Economics, 2018).
Employees today have spent significant time working at home, think customizable lighting, comfy chairs, personalized temperature, and most importantly, zero cubicle conversations about weekend plans. This shift has increased the need for intentionally designed quiet focus spaces in offices, providing a sense of privacy and control employees grew accustomed to while working remotely.
Speaking of intentional design, creating spaces with adjustable sensory features, soft lighting, calming colors, clear layouts, and retreat rooms, isn't just considerate; it’s smart business. Particularly for neurodivergent employees (15-20% of the workforce), intentional design helps everyone thrive. Because, honestly, who doesn’t occasionally need a calming oasis after another “could’ve-been-an-email” meeting? (Work Design Magazine, 2019).
Creating Inclusive Workplaces:
Quiet Focus Areas: Reducing distractions and avoiding unwanted storytime.
Flexible Lighting: Preventing fluorescent-induced midday meltdowns.
Retreat Spaces: Because sometimes hiding from your coworkers is essential self-care.
Customizable Workstations: Empowering employees to adjust their environment for maximum comfort and productivity.
Thoughtful and intentional workplace design isn’t just about aesthetics, it directly boosts performance, wellbeing, and, perhaps most importantly, helps everyone keep their sanity intact.