Work pods are here to stay. As The Telegraph points out, “… young trendy companies and mobile workers have started a revolution that even the big corporates cannot ignore. Desks are being ripped out and replaced by sofas and work pods.” Most of us have inherited the traditional open office spaces that took the workplace interior design world by storm in the 1950s, but that doesn’t mean we can’t create quiet alcoves where workers can get work done more efficiently.
Who uses work pods?
Toyota prides itself on providing flexible workspaces for its employees. “The idea is to have work spaces that support the different types and ways people need to work and allow team members to be able to choose the space they need for the work they need to do,” said Julia Wada, group vice president at Toyota Financial Services.
When companies design forward-thinking work spaces, privacy pods are a common theme. For instance, work pods can be found at the new Wilmington, Delaware headquarters of business services company CSC. Agrium, Canadian agricultural products, and services company, debuted work pods at their new Loveland headquarters “to appeal to Millennial workers” by providing “temporary cocoons away from distractions.”
Privacy-enhanced, pre-flight work pods are even popping up in Australian airport lounges for Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and United Airlines.
Why are work pods so popular among cool companies?
Office privacy pods:
- Boost efficiency, while still allowing the office to be a fluid, collaborative space.
- Provide quiet and solitude when needed, without isolating people.
- Minimize distraction and noise pollution in a busy, growing office.
- Improve focus and concentration, without major office renovation.
- Allow employees to accept a quick phone call, without leaving the main workspace.
- Bring small teams together in a futuristic, creativity-enhancing setting.
Types of work pods
There are many different configurations, depending on your needs, including:
- Acoustic office pods and booths – fully enclosed “rooms within a room,” ideal for small group meetings and conference calls.
- Work hubs – Acoustic furniture that blocks noise enough to take calls or hold small meetings, without being enclosed.
- Office dens – Acoustic seating with ceilings, but lacking walls, that offer increased privacy, task lighting, and informal collaboration nooks.
- Acoustic seating – High-back sofas and chairs to offer a quieter space to enjoy coffee and brainstorm.
- Office screens – Partition off cubicles to create noise-reduced space conducive to training.
- Phone booths – Small, enclosed areas for making phone calls or hopping on video conference calls, without leaving the workspace.
Contact Emagispace to discuss how our flexible, reusable work pods can transform your office environment into a highly productive, collaborative workspace.