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Modular phone booths and modular office pods seem to only do the most for productivity and space-efficiency in the office. Surprisingly, however, these pods can often go above and beyond, and help to improve workplace environments and boost mental health in the office. With verifiably strong links to office psychology and well-being, having a private pod can certainly yield more benefits than you might expect.
Office environments and links to psychology
Optimising office environments can fall under an array of psychological concepts. Where modular office pods are concerned, this primarily taps into environmental psychology, which studies the transactions between office workers and their environment.
In other words, the office environment directly keys into the ways office workers perceive their environments, and whether they are stressful or safe. Consequently, this can affect individual productivity and mental health. If the work environment is perceived as threatening and oppressive, particularly where individuals are mandated to do work all the time and cannot be caught ‘slacking off,’ then the worker may experience deteriorating well-being, ramped-up stressors, and productivity droughts. Vice versa, the same can be said for opposing cases; healthier environments beget healthier workers and higher productivity levels.
In the greater scheme of things, what do these statistics have to do with modular office pods—nay, InstaPods? Plenty. Notwithstanding the following list, here are some of them.
Creating choice leads to reduced stress & ease of work
Have you ever experienced the looming dread of someone looking over your shoulder? How about that moment when your supervisor is walking past your desk to go to the pantry? I know I have. Within the work day, our time is punctuated by periods of anxiety and co-worker-to-worker surveillance. Most times, we become focused on looking like we do work, rather than partaking in the creation of any real work. To put it in a phrase, the illusion of productivity precedes genuine productivity.
While such office designs are well-meaning, they often fall short of their well-intended goal: To encourage workers to look out for another, and seek readily available support if needed. By a terrible stroke of luck, it may even stir an atmosphere of distrust and discomfort, where workers need to constantly look back to see if anyone’s micro-managing them or sneakily monitoring their work.
With the ease of a private pod, workers have the choice to structure their work as they like—which, according to research, is one of the most important factors in a healthy workplace environment. To better flesh this out, an office privacy booth can enable workers to flexibly create time blocks for work, and to take short breaks to goof off when needed. While one may claim that slacking off induces opportunity costs with time that can be spent working, taking breaks in the short-term can spur workers to last for the long-haul. In most cases, then, the obvious solution is when staff members can operate on the popular catchphrase: Own time, own target.
After all, the private pod—especially ours—has tempered glass that prevents the outside world from looking. As a natural result, this mollifies the stressors of being observed, and allows workers to do what they want on a flexible and autonomous basis. Over time, mental health can improve in a workplace that trusts its workers to do what’s right in their own time.
Modular phone booths to the rescue!
Often it is the case that people try to view matters as a ‘work-life’ balance, i.e. a neat and categorical distinction between the two. In spite of that, ‘life’ comes creeping up on us at unexpected moments—particularly during office hours. These calling incidents may be a vital medical emergency, crucial schooling notifications, family panics, and a never-ending list of issues.
Given its name, it’s no surprise that the workplace has no good location for private phone calls. After all, it’s intended for work, and while the toilet might, it isn’t a very hygienic or comfortable option.
To address this aspect of office design that many workplaces tend to overlook, our modular phone booths can be discreetly situated in a corner of the office. In turn, these booths can be used by workers for private calls to their loved ones or—in a rather anticlimactic fashion, to one’s dentist.
Having an office privacy booth forms trust
Apart from individual ease and comfort, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that these micro-level effects can ripple out and improve the overall workplace environment. This may foster an environment that includes the big ‘T’ word—trust—which enables offices to function like well-oiled machines without needing to hyper-scrutinise one another’s work. Indeed, there’s a fine line between supervision and micromanaging, and incorporating the office privacy booth can help to even out that balance. Contact us here if you wish to get a pod to improve your workplace environment!