Quiet Places to Work
Within the last 20 years, offices have evolved away from private offices to much more open environments. Say what you will about the positive or negative effects of each, but there is one trend that has been increasingly sighted in today’s open offices: The Quiet Place.
Quiet places come in all sorts of forms, but they are becoming increasingly important with employees needing to take a break and quietly collect themselves. They are also being used to nap and regain energy or work without interruptions.
The important thing to note is that these spaces aren’t just useful for introverts, but important for all employees in need of such a space.
In every case, companies have had to look at their space and employees to see what type of quiet space is necessary within the confines of a reasonable budget. Some have opted for small enclosed spaces in the middle of the work area, while others have used furniture to get a similar effect. Some have found technology to enhance these areas, while yet others choose low-tech options.
What might these spaces look like? Let’s take a look at a number of varieties:
37 Signals
airbnb
airbnb
aol Palo Alto
David Baker
Eventbrite
Google Stockholm
Google Zurich
Google Zurich
LivePerson
Mono
Zappos
Hover over an image to pause the slideshow.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Great post! We wrestle with this issue regularly at Mightybytes. As a small, deadline-driven business, space is at a premium, especially as we near a project’s completion. Quiet time and the space in which to have it becomes critical to keeping projects on track, on deadline, and on budget, as distractions ultimately cost money. We currently manage this by juggling workspaces with lots of telecommuting but having an office of 1500 SF and a growing staff will only support so much. Until we can move into a larger space, maximizing what we have is our highest priority. Thanks for sharing what others are doing to meet these challenges.
Quiet “cocoons” are showing up in public places as well as workspaces. Here’s one other pod option that I blogged about last year:
http://www.sandiegocubicles.com/blog/these-egg-shaped-workstations-crack-me-up/
Daisy