For decades, our workplace design has been working on encouraging collaboration and social interaction in every way: transforming separated offices into an open plan office, or setting a lounge area with coffee machine. According to the most recent Steelcase survey of global workers (conducted in 11 countries with 4,986 office workers), when asked what’s become more important in the office now compared to pre-pandemic, four of the top five answers were related to privacy and places to do individual work:
The research uncovered employee’s expectation to their offices: a workspace well supporting both hybrid collaboration and heads-down focused work. Also, Gallup’s State of the American Workplace reports 75 percent of people experience frequent noise while working and 42 percent would change jobs to have privacy when they need it. It’s evident that to guarantee the employees’ engagement, a greater control over the work experience and then a sense of belonging are required.
Based on the survey results, grado Contract is introducing you our workspace privacy solutions to offering spaces for hybrid collaboration (64%), single-person enclaves for hybrid meetings (62%), privacy (61%), and workstations with full or partial enclosure (58%) respectively.
1.Spaces for hybrid collaboration（64%）
A divided small area for group discussion or a zoom meeting with off-site team members is highly required in a hybrid work company. grado’s Modo Pod Sofa 4-Seater is an excellent solution. This ensemble includes a pair of upholstered sofas, a table in between, power grommet with cover imbedded in the tabletop, sound-absorbing dividing screen, and optional TV screen attached to the dividing screen for presentation and online meeting. It’s prepared for the staff to jump from their workstations into the pod to gain some privacy and avoid disturbing other co-workers.
(Modo Pod Sofa 4-Seater arranged beside workstation area in an open plan office)
Our Modo Pod Screen is a simple and flexible set of products allowing fast re-arrangement of workspace. Arranged beside a collection of moveable desks, tables, markerboards, carts, and accessories, Modo Pod Screen is a marvelous choice to create dynamic neighborhoods for hyper-collaborative teams. One screen panel upholstery contains 2 layers of foam, 2 layers of plywood and a steel frame. The I-shaped connectors, L-shaped corner connectors, and T-shaped screen stands together guarantee superior sturdiness and stability.
(Modo Pod Screen structure: fabric+foam+plywood+steel frame+plywood+foam+fabric)
(Modo Pod Screens in a collaborative area configuration)
(Modo Pod Screens dividing an open plan office into different areas)
2.Single-person enclaves for hybrid meetings (62%)
Have you ever felt awkward when you have to get on a video call right away in an open office space? Since this might distract your co-workers’ attention from busy work. grado’s Modo Phone Booth is definitely smart solution. The booth panels are upholstered by plywood and foam in different colors and shapes to style your offices. The sound-absorbing upholstery creates a nice, distraction-free background for video calls. What’s more, the phone-booth piece can be set on the walkway wall to make a better use of the limited space.
(Modo Phone Booth with grado’s Fungo Barstool to match)
3.Privacy(61%)
What mentioned above is more of avoiding disturbing others in the office, while the other aspect of needs about one’s own concentration and focus is equally crucial. The carrel-designed Modo Pod Sofa Single Seat is a fabulous option for heads-down focused work. Since we have laid so much emphasis on social interactions and teamwork, the unintended result is people feel a sense of homelessness if they come to the office only to find no place to work alone. Work alone is the condition to stay focused and get into the state of flow. Your staff’s engagement is influenced by their control over work experience in a large part. In addition, the Modo Pod Sofa Single Seat works as reservable workspaces for contractors, service providers, gig workers, or marketplace sellers, which is also a notable consideration facing the workforce ecosystem.
(Modo Pod Sofa Single Seat arranged beside the workstation area to offer both acoustic and visual privacy)
4.Workstations with full or partial enclosure (58%)
It is surprising that most people want their own, dedicated desk so much that they are willing to trade remote work days to get it, according to Steelcase survey. When asked which they would prefer, 55% would work from home two or less days per week if they had an assigned desk in the office, while only 45% prefer to work from home three or more days a week and not to have an assigned desk. grado’s Modo Desk Divider works as a moveable on-the-table screen adding some privacy to the dedicate desk or workstation. The desire for a dedicated workspace implies people’s need to have a “home” in the office, in which they get more flexibility and control over everything. People enjoy this very sense of security and belonging, which prominently enhances their engagement at work.
(Modo Desk Divider arranged on two desk pushed together)
GRADO believes that our workspace has evolved into a period of “Office Renaissance” marking the transition from the instrumental rationality to the value rationality. That is to say, we have done enough on purely boosting productivity and advocating innovation, and it’s time to step up. In the Office Renaissance period, we are likely to care more about one’s feelings, characters so as to meet his/her personalized needs. Things might be getting worse when hybrid work simply let one work everywhere. Hybrid work doesn’t equal to allowing work to invade one’s lifestyle. A well-organized, comfortable workspace designed with humanistic care can also serve as a new “third place”. It attracts people to come and stay not only for work, but for reading, self-study or anything else to achieve self-improvement. Cultivating both physical and psychological healthier staff is exactly the truth to engagement and innovation.
