Workers Forced to Return to the Office Are Demanding This Surprising, Old-School FeatureEmployees are over the hybrid "hot-desking" moment.
ByAmanda Breen•
For some employees, thework-from-homeera has come to an end — but that doesn't mean they're willing to accept the office as it was.
When it comes tooffice layout, for example, many workers are rebelling against open-concept designs that gained traction during the "hot-desking”,每The Wall Street Journal.
Instead, they're embracing an old-school but highly functional approach: walls, or, at the very least, cubicles.
Related:3 Steps to Fix a Home Office Setup That Has You Feeling Unproductive and Uninspired
Proponents of the "open" office setup might tout benefits likecollaborationand transparency, butresearchconfirms that high noise levels are as detrimental as they seem, causing physiological stress and heightening negative moods by 25%.
People want the privacy and personal space they've come to expect at home. In fact, Kristi Buchler, principal at Interior Architects, which helps companies plan workspaces, toldWSJthat "seated privacy" is the latest buzzword in office design.
That doesn't mean the drab, fully isolated cubicles of the past: Buchler says that many new designs use low walls topped with glass to provide employees "solitude when in their chairs," but make it easy for them to "pop up" and see other colleagues in the space.
Another trend that's been cropping up?Collaborative与安静的区域。这是一个两全其美的应用roach that even WeWork, a leader in open-office planning, sees value in.
"Think quiet cars on the train," Ebbie Wisecarver, WeWork's global head of design, toldWSJ. "These areas of our spaces are purposefully sectioned off and act as more of a library setting."
Related:6 Companies With Amazing Office Layouts to Inspire Your Office Redesign
One thing's clear: While workers might have to go back to the office, theydon'tnecessarily have to accept the way it was.
