Throughout the centuries-long history of the office, there has been an attempt to find the ideal office that works for every profession, size and type of work.
Naturally, nearly any one-size-fits-all solution has been found wanting, from the isolation and expense of individual offices to the cluttered appearance of office cubicles to the myriad of productivity issues with the open plan office.
Ultimately, the problem comes down to human nature; some people like to work in a collaborative environment where they can see and talk to colleagues whenever they want, whilst others find such an environment incredibly distracting and prefer having a space to themselves.
These are not new problems, of course, but after one of the largest collective experiments into the prospect of working from home, a lot of companies who want all of their staff to return to the office are facing resistance from people who have found their productivity to have improved through a more isolated working style.
It can be quite different to find a way to meet in the middle but one aspect of office design that could potentially help is the use of an office glass partition.
As anyone who has a meeting room or an executive office behind double-glazed walls will notice that they are significantly quieter than the larger central areas, and whilst these are perfectly suitable uses by themselves, they can be taken a step further.
By setting up partitioned smaller quiet rooms, you can provide employees who work best with fewer distractions an environment where they can work at their best, and this can also provide collaboration areas for members of staff to use to discuss particular projects without having to hire a full meeting room.
This allows for the openness and collaborative spirit of open-plan offices whilst also being mindful of the practical needs of many employees as well.
