Magazine Wirtschaft reports: How useful are phone booths really for the office? In the process, QuietOffice's phone booths were examined more closely. With amazing findings. The article follows.
A new trend is taking the office world by storm: phone booths. Nowadays, telephone calls and conversations can easily be held in a soundproof phone booth without disturbing colleagues in the office.
In this article we give you a brief overview of the new trend and answer the exciting question: Do phone booths really bring that great a benefit?
Phone booths ensure peace and quiet at the office, as noise-generating activities such as telephone calls and meetings can now easily be moved to a soundproof phone booth. They are usually found in open-plan offices. However, they are also used in smaller offices shared by several employees. In this way employees no longer need to make important calls in the corridor or at the staircase.
Phone booths and meeting pods are a trendy solution for more quiet in OpenSpace open-plan offices.
The open-plan office, also known as OpenSpace, often makes it impossible for employees to concentrate due to its high levels of noise. But how did this type of office develop in the first place?
The first OpenSpace offices as we know them today appeared in the USA in the eighties. Characterized by large, wide window fronts and often a stylish industrial look.
Granted: these offices look better than a small room with a single workstation. Tables and chairs are densely placed in this open space, providing ample space for many workers. In the best case scenario, only some office dividers or partitioners on the tables serve to screen off the view to co-workers' worspaces, for a minimal amount of privacy.
But what are the reasons for the emergence of open-plan offices? Probably the most powerful reason is the low cost. By creating a single large office, in which many people are employed, you save a lot of space. This also means that the rental costs are greatly reduced. This is especially important for centrally located offices in larger cities.
Another reason why OpenSpace offices are becoming more and more popular is the role model function of large American companies. Facebook, Twitter and Apple are leading the way: Employees prefer to work in large, stylish offices where they can get free drinks, foosball tables and much more. True isn't it?
A prime example of this is the new Apple Campus. Apple's new headquarters in California, also known as "Ufo", is opened and employees are already working in the huge OpenSpace office. But obviously not without problems: Allegedly, several department heads were severely unhappy on their first visit, whole departments refused to move into the new building because there are simply too few retreats and too little privacy.
And this is understandable: When many employees work in a large office, the overall noise-level naturally increases. One employee has an important phone call to make, while others have to find and fix tricky bugs. It doesn't take a genius to realize that in the long run this can create problems. Numerous studies have already proven it: Noise at work is one of the most important causes of employee dissatisfaction and is also a major contributor to unproductivity.
To counter this problem, an old concept was rediscovered: classic phone booths. But instead of bright yellow and smoke-filled booths, modern offices nowadays have really cool phone booths; stylishly designed and with everything you need in an office. Instead of a coin-operated telephone, a large table has now been installed, providing space for a laptop and accessories. Sockets, USB and LAN connections are available. And nobody has to suffer through the overwhelming heat: a powerful intergrated ventilation system transports fresh air into the cabin. The phone booths are sealed by a soundproof door and no noise can escape.
But how does the phone booths get into the offices? Many companies have already recognised its great benefit. "Our employees already have to register in an online calendar to use the phone booth", says a QuietOffice customer. "The effect on the working atmosphere is amazing, everyone can concentrate on their work in peace".
In addition to numerous customer's opinions, research also confirms the positive effect of phone booths. Numerous studies prove that peace and quiet at offices is crucial for productivity. It is assumed that this increases employee productivity by up to 25 percent.
25% increase in productivity is possible through peace and quiet in the office.
Another important aspect is to give each employee space according to their own preferences. In the OpenSpace this is often overlooked. In a large office, service staff, programmers and sales people are often separated from each other only by desk dividers. The sound generated by conversations quickly disrupts the other employees' workflow. Headphones are therefore often the only solution. The noise of conversations in the office can be drastically reduced by targeted installation of phone booths.
For example, it makes sense for sales employees ,who occasionally have to "get loud" in order to successfully do their job, to set up a phone booth nearby. In this way, they simply use the soundproof office pod and no one in the office is disturbed anymore.
But not only telephone calls disturb the employees, but also the conversations between other colleagues. That's why meeting pods for four or more people are a useful addition to simple phone booths. Meeting pods are designed similar to phone booths, but have a much larger interior space to provide room for quick meetings and small presentations.
Whether an important meeting, a product presentation or a brainstorming session, everything can take place effectively in meeting pods.
50% less days of sick-leave for employees due to satisfaction at the office. Source: AOK health insurance company
A combination of phone booths and meeting pods has proven to create peace and quiet at large open-plan offices. The positive effect of office pods is measurable. The productivity and satisfaction of the employees are significantly increased by peace and quiet at the office.
According to the AOK health insurance company, this reduces the number of sick days for employees by 50%. Phone booths have now become an integral part of office planning for many companies, as phone booths easily solve the previously difficult-to-solve problem of noise at the office..
These advantages make phone booths a good long-term investment for improving the work environment at offices and the overall success of the company.
