--- title: 3 Solutions for the Most Common Open Office Challenges description: Is your open office layout driving you to distraction? Here are 3 technology-enabled solutions to fix it. image: https://blog.clark-powell.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/blog-open-office-fixes-featured.png --- [![cp_wh_logo](https://blog.clark-powell.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ClarkPowell_March2018%20Theme/Images/cp_wh_logo.png?width=400&name=cp_wh_logo.png)](https://www.clark-powell.com/) - [Home](https://www.clark-powell.com/) - [Solutions](https://www.clark-powell.com/overview-room-solutions/) - [Technology](https://www.clark-powell.com/links-to-av-technology/) - [Our Work](https://www.clark-powell.com/photo-library-of-av-projects/) - [Blog](https://blog.clark-powell.com/) - [Events](https://pages.clark-powell.com/2019-fusion-technology-expo) - Company - [Service](https://www.clark-powell.com/schedule-service/) - [Standard Warranty](https://www.clark-powell.com/standard-warranty/) - [Careers](https://www.clark-powell.com/career-opportunities/) - [Contact Us](https://www.clark-powell.com/contact-clarkpowell/) - [SC Contract](https://www.clark-powell.com/south-carolina-state-contract-portal/) ![man-791049_1280](https://blog.clark-powell.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/man-791049_1280.jpg?width=1280&name=man-791049_1280.jpg "man-791049_1280") # Audiovisual Insights ## Latest Stories Search this site on Google S [![ClarkPowell](https://blog.clark-powell.com/hubfs/Logos/favicon.ico) ClarkPowell](https://blog.clark-powell.com/author/clarkpowell) Oct 18, 2019 ## [Couldn't Make it to Fusion 2019? 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When it comes to office layouts, the open office design is a once-hot trend most businesses—and employees—are [ready to leave behind](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/327142). ## why open office layouts don't work Open office floorplans gained favor as a way to increase collaboration while saving on real estate costs, but in some cases, they’ve had the opposite effect. For example, a study conducted by Harvard Business School researchers found that open office plans [reduced face-to-face interactions by 70 percent](https://www.hbs.edu/news/articles/Pages/bernstein-open-offices.aspx). Here are some other common problems brought on by open office layouts. - **Distractions increase**. An open office layout means it’s hard to avoid hearing other people’s conversations, and it’s easy to have your concentration broken by people walking back and forth past your desk. [Nearly half of employees](https://facilityexecutive.com/2019/05/co-workers-biggest-distraction-open-offices/) say distractions inherent in the open office design impact their ability to concentrate, and more than half of employees point to co-workers talking loudly or interrupting them as the main source of distractions. - **Productivity and collaboration decrease**. Instead of fostering more face-to-face interaction, open office layouts are proving to have the opposite effect. In many cases, employees worried about the lack of privacy in open offices are [more likely to email co-workers](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2017.0239) than pop over for a chat, driving in-person interaction down instead of up. - **Employee wellbeing suffers**. Open office layouts are meant to create a laid-back, less hierarchical atmosphere, but employees who work in cubicles are [less active and more stressed](https://oem.bmj.com/content/75/10/689) than their counterparts. ## how to fix your open office layout So, what should companies that have invested in an open office design do? First off, don’t panic and start building walls. There are some easy—and cost-effective—ways to maximize the benefits of open office layouts while minimizing the most significant downsides. 1. **Offer flexible work schedules**. A regular telecommuting schedule can reduce the total number of people in your open office at a time, reducing the noise and distractions as well. Companies can also provide ad hoc flexibility, allowing an employee to work from home or a nearby coffee shop or café when they need to concentrate on a task or deliverable. Not only will flexible work arrangements improve productivity, they’ll make your employees happier, too—[51 percent of employees](https://blog.shrm.org/blog/the-increasing-demand-for-flexible-work-arrangements) want their company to offer more flexible work options. 2. **Provide tools that mitigate distractions**. Tearing down your office and starting over probably isn’t an option, but you can provide your employees with noise-cancelling headphones when they want to block out noise and distractions. Also, movable furniture allows teams to create slightly more private and cohesive spaces as needed. 3. **Create a hybrid floor plan**. A hybrid floor plan also doesn’t require you to scrap your entire office space and start over, but it provides more permanent, designated space for private and uninterrupted work and collaboration. Huddle spaces and “phone booths” [equipped with video conferencing](https://blog.clark-powell.com/want-to-improve-team-collaboration-start-here) and content sharing capabilities are a critical piece of hybrid office plans. ## let an expert save your open office layout An AV professional can help you implement technology solutions—like [sound masking](https://cambridgesound.com/learn/sound-masking-101/), displays, and video conferencing—as well as [design meeting spaces](https://blog.clark-powell.com/how-to-avoid-10-common-meeting-room-design-mistakes)—like huddle rooms and conference rooms—that provide the peace and quiet your employees crave while helping you preserve the relaxed culture and real estate savings of your open office concept. Read our blog to learn more about [how huddle rooms can improve your open office layout](https://blog.clark-powell.com/huddle-rooms-can-improve-your-open-office).   ![](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/content/email-template-images/placeholder_200x200.png) ### Subscribe To Our Blog ### Popular Stories [Fixing the Open Office Floor Plan](https://blog.clark-powell.com/blog-central/2017/2/28/fixing-the-open-office-floor-plan) Feb 28, 2017 [How to Avoid 10 Common Meeting Room Design Mistakes](https://blog.clark-powell.com/how-to-avoid-10-common-meeting-room-design-mistakes) Oct 09, 2018 [The Easiest (and Most Fun) Way to Get the Scoop on New Tech](https://blog.clark-powell.com/easiest-most-fun-way-to-get-the-scoop-on-new-tech) Jul 02, 2019 ### Popular Tags [Collaboration Technology](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/collaboration-technology) [Education](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/education) [Enterprise](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/enterprise) [IT](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/it) [Video Collaboration](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/video-collaboration) [team collaboration](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/team-collaboration) [AV](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/av) [Collaboration](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/collaboration) [System Design](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/system-design) [Conference Rooms](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/conference-rooms) [Fusion](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/fusion) [Government](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/government) [Meeting Rooms](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/meeting-rooms) [collaboration software](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/collaboration-software) [Audio Conferencing](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/audio-conferencing) [Camera](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/camera) [Huddle Rooms](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/huddle-rooms) [Microphone](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/microphone) [Productivity](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/productivity) [Technology](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/technology) [Technology Professional](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/technology-professional) [Digital Signage](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/digital-signage) [Fusion 2018](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/fusion-2018) [Lighting](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/lighting) [News](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/news) [Office Design](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/office-design) [Open Office](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/open-office) [audiovisual](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/audiovisual) [education software](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/education-software) [huddle spaces](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/huddle-spaces) [AVaaS](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/avaas) [BYOD compatibility](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/byod-compatibility) [Broadcast](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/broadcast) [Digital Classroom](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/digital-classroom) [Flexible Work Spaces](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/flexible-work-spaces) [House of Worship](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/house-of-worship) [Huddle Room](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/huddle-room) [Meeting Spaces](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/meeting-spaces) [Microphones](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/microphones) [Microsoft Surface Hub 2S](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/microsoft-surface-hub-2s) [PSNI Global Alliance](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/psni-global-alliance) [PSNI Global Certification](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/psni-global-certification) [Pro Audio](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/pro-audio) [Speakers](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/speakers) [Standardization](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/standardization) [UCC](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/ucc) [UCaaS](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/ucaas) [Unified Communications and Collaboration](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/unified-communications-and-collaboration) [VCaaS](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/vcaas) [Video Conferencing](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/video-conferencing) [content sharing](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/content-sharing) [integration](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/integration) [integration services](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/integration-services) [interactive whiteboards](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/interactive-whiteboards) [standardized services](https://blog.clark-powell.com/topic/standardized-services) [Tweets by ClarkPowell\_AV](https://twitter.com/ClarkPowell_AV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > Lorem Ipsum is a simple dummy text used as a dummy text contents. 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