Employee autonomy in open-plan offices. How to achieve it

Popular in the business world, open-plan offices are spaces full of possibilities, but also places where true employee autonomy is difficult to achieve. Freedom and independence in decision-making can bring significant benefits to an organisation, including increased engagement, productivity and job satisfaction. How do you introduce autonomy into open-plan office spaces that are inherently communal and often lack privacy? Read the article and find out how to help your team achieve self-reliance in an open office, to the benefit of the whole organisation.

Open space deprives employees of autonomy on many levels 

Open space, a popular office design concept that aims to promote collaboration and communication between employees, can unfortunately deprive them of autonomy on many levels. The boundaries of private office space are disappearing, meaning that every employee activity is visible to others. This leads to a sense of constant supervision by superiors or team members. In addition, loud conversations, phone calls and other sounds can be a major distraction for those who need silence to perform tasks with focus. 

Above all, the lack of privacy, noise and constant breaks in concentration can lead to a decrease in efficiency and the sense of a lack of autonomy. Therefore, while open space has its advantages, it is worth paying attention to the possible negative consequences and ensuring that everyone is comfortable in the professional environment. The most satisfied employees are those who have a wide choice of workstations, control over their privacy and feel that their employer trusts them. 

Why is autonomy at work important?

Autonomy at work is fundamental for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a key factor in building engagement and job satisfaction. When employees are free to make decisions and do their work, they have a greater sense of responsibility and are more committed to what they do. Autonomy allows them to use their unique skills and talents, which in turn leads to better results. The freedom to work also encourages innovation. When people feel free to explore new ideas, they are more likely to think creatively and solve problems. Autonomy allows for career development. Employees who are in control of their work have more opportunities to learn and succeed.

How to ensure autonomy for open-plan office workers

Workers who have no control over their working conditions or choice over where they perform their duties feel oppressed. In open-plan offices, ensuring staff autonomy can be a major challenge. One way of providing greater control over the working environment is with Hushoffice acoustic cubicles for individual and team tasks. These mobile spaces provide a place to focus on tasks that require concentration and an opportunity to break away from the all-day use of a desk in a noisy open space. They can be easily rearranged and adapted to the current needs of the office, giving employees the opportunity to change their working environment according to individual preferences.

Choice of workplace

Within an open-plan space, it is a good idea to separate out zones to suit different needs and the specifics of the tasks to be performed. A variety of private spaces, such as acoustic booths, collaboration areas, telephone conversation areas or café annexes, help to balance open-plan offices and provide greater autonomy.

Acoustic cabins are redefining the concept of the working environment by providing workers with choice, both physically and environmentally. The first level is concerned with the specific features of office cubicles, such as their size, structure (open or semi-open) and working position (sitting or standing). Will it be a single-person cabin guaranteeing quiet and concentration, or perhaps a four-person hushMeet booth, which is ideal for brainstorming and spontaneous meetings? The second level of selection refers to environmental conditions that can be adjusted to individual preferences, such as lighting, ventilation and sound background. In this way, acoustic pods give employees control over their working environment, increasing satisfaction, motivation and creativity.

hushoffice.com

Turn chaos into calm

Employees in open-plan offices often face excessive noise, which affects their concentration and productivity. Smaller acoustic pods, such as the hushHybrid, with their finely tuned sound insulation technology, make it possible to effectively mitigate this problem. However, they do not introduce total silence, as this would be unnatural. Surrounding sounds are merely reduced to a pleasant background level and conversations carried out in the cabin are not heard outside. By using single and multi-person office cubicles, changing the office layout is simple and cost-effective, allowing the space to adapt to the changing needs of the team.