Solutions for an Open Office Environment

by Kim Schroeder

Within the past couple of years, we have seen an increase in open workspaces.  The intention was that employees could collaborate, share knowledge, and be more productive overall. Corporate America thought this was an ideal solution for encouraging teamwork.  We now know that this is not always the case.  There are current studies that show that an open work environment can be more disruptive.  The lack of privacy, along with the added noise, can do the opposite of what was intended and inhibit an employee’s ability to concentrate, therefore decreasing productivity.