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People work like crazy nowadays. They work round the clock, forget to maintain <keyword id="583738" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Work-life">work-life</keyword> balance, use excessive technology...the list can go on and on. But what if we tell you that they don’t pay attention? <keyword id="362080" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Steelcase-Inc">Steelcase Inc</keyword>, one of the largest workplace solutions providers, says attention has become a scarce resource in workplaces throughout the world. The employees are facing constant <keyword id="3009240" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Distractions-at-Workplace">distractions at workplace</keyword> which hampers their productivity. Do you know what these distractions are? 
Take a look at the image below to find out. 
 
 
 
Image credits: <a href="http://www.steelcase.com/">Steelcase</a>

What people really do when at work

<keyword id="362080" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Steelcase-Inc">Steelcase Inc</keyword>. has recently done a global study focusing on the cost of the disengagement of employees faced by organisations. Named as <keyword id="2552476" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Privacy-Crisis-Report">Privacy Crisis Report</keyword>, the study was conducted in collaboration with <keyword id="233968" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ipsos">IPSOS</keyword> and Gallup. 
 
The study states that 87% of employees around the globe are actively disengaged at work and the negative impact on the bottom-line has become evident. As per the study, the cost of disengagement in the USA alone is between $450-550 billion per year. Though around the world, CEOs recognise a clear correlation between employee engagement and business performance, few organisations can identify the factors that positively affect employee engagement, and even fewer know how to improve it. 
 
Today, most workplaces are set up as open plan offices for maximum group interaction. In addition to needing places that support group work, office workers around the world also need private places to focus and rejuvenate. Workers say that they need privacy the most for productive work, and this is what most modern offices today lack. This happens to be employees’ number-one complaint about their workplace, along with the imbalance between collaboration and privacy at many offices. 
 
Steelcase’s Privacy Crisis at Workplaces Study took place in 14 countries including India, by the independent research firms IPSOS and Gallup including more than 10,500 workers. The study has confirmed the following statistics: 
 
Key global findings: 
 
· 69% of people working around the globe are not fully engaged and most dissatisfied with their environment, 
· 31% employees are the most satisfied with their work environment, 
· 11% say their workplace allows them to concentrate easily, work in teams without being interrupted, 
· 85% of workers are dissatisfied and can’t concentrate easily in the office, and 
· 31% of them need to go outside of their office to get work done. 
 
Key findings for India 
 
· 91% of employees are disengaged and are putting in time but not passion for their work, 
· 31% of them are actively disengaged and are consciously projecting their dissatisfaction, and 
· 9% of employees are engaged and contribute productively to their organisation. 
 
The data clearly reveals that a majority of employees, located in India or abroad, face issues like lack of privacy in their workplaces. 
 
Image: thinkstock

Report Reveals ‘Lack Of Privacy’ To Be The Reason Of Employee Disengagement

The purpose of <keyword id="4682636" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="art-and-design">art and design</keyword> is not only to represent the outward beauty and appearance of a space but it is also a tangible way to enhance the culture of an organization. When you travel or even go watch a movie, you’re going to get an all-consuming, immersive experience. Your brain gets to take a break from the real world and science tells us that’s a good thing. By giving our brains a break, we improve focus, sharpness and motivation. Why not use the fusion of design with work to support creativity in the workplace? In the face of a crisis, the first thing an organization thinks of is rarely their office design. Creating human centric experiences through art is essential in the midst of rapid change. An elegant way to express the essence of your culture and brand is through the physical mood of the space. Creativity is finding that big idea and having the work ethic and dedication to sit down and execute it. You need it whether you’re an accountant, filmmaker or a doctor. The presence of artwork around, creates an aesthetically pleasing workplace which in turn fosters engagement, innovation and the essence of working from home. Here are some reasons to infuse art and design at workplace: 1)Enhances employee well-being even in high-density <keyword id="144992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="workplaces">workplaces</keyword> Work today is both physically and cognitively demanding, and work environments should be designed to help people deal with the stress it causes. You may not be able to make the space less dense but you can do things that will make it a better experience for the people working there. Adding a splash of color, incorporating informal, lounge like settings, and dedicating more space to bring out the personality of the organization is key. 2)Boosts employee engagement and involvement Creating spaces that foster a sense of belonging is what helps attract and retain your best workers. Data from a recent <keyword id="1601181" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="steelcase">Steelcase</keyword> commissioned study conducted by the global research firm IPSOS of 10,500 workers in 14 countries throughout the world provide a wake-up call for any leaders who think work environments are not a high priority—employees who are highly satisfied with the places they work are also the most highly engaged. Colors, vibrancy, and inspiring creations can bring about a change in a bland corporate space and bring life to work life. 3)Positive psychological effects of color How form, color, materials and intuitive user interfaces influence well-being are a hot topic now and set to get much hotter. We’re drawn to places based on emotional responses. Green is often chosen for healthcare environments because of its psychological effects. But reactions to colors often vary by geography, culture, history and, of course personal preferences. It’s more important to have options so people can use the materials and colors that will evoke positive emotional responses. In workplaces designed for well-being, every detail counts. Architecture that connects us with nature and natural light, open offices that facilitate communication with colleagues and other overarching strategies provide the framework for our <keyword id="621615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-environment">work environment</keyword>, but it’s in the details where a workplace becomes our work home. The spaces we work in and the products we touch and interact with can lift our mood, make us less stressed, more stimulated. They can inspire, absorb and captivate. (The article is authored by Praveen Rawal, Managing Director, South East Asia and India, Steelcase Inc.)

How art and design can change the way you work

Hello, readers. I'm Hallam Bullock, Insider's newsletter editor, reporting from London today while Phil Rosen is out.I also edit our finance newsletter, 10 Things on Wall Street. It's our snappy weekday digest of all the top stories on the Street, along with an inside look at industry parties, lavish executive lifestyles, and so much more. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-on-wall-street">You can sign up here.</a> We've got an exciting smorgasbord of markets stories this morning. But first, Elon Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1604617643973124097">staked his Twitter leadership on a poll</a> and it closed just minutes ago. Let's see how that went. If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-opening-bell">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://www.insider.com/app">here.</a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-criticisms-twitter-stock-sales-tesla-investor-issues-complaints-2022-12"></a>1. Elon Musk topped off a turbulent week by launching a poll asking Twitter users whether he should quit as CEO. The billionaire, who took Twitter private in a $44 billion deal in October, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-polls-followers-should-i-step-down-as-head-of-twitter-2022-12">wrote on the social platform Sunday</a>: "Should I step down as head of Twitter? I will abide by the results of this poll."Having closed just moments ago, more than 57% of the vote was in favor of him calling it a day. Trouble has been mounting for a while, and short tenures seem to be a trademark of 2022 — especially here in the UK with our <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/charts-liz-truss-resignation-uk-markets-gilts-pound-dollar-treasurys-2022-10">steady rotation of prime ministers </a>— but last week alone was a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-criticisms-twitter-stock-sales-tesla-investor-issues-complaints-2022-12">particularly tough one for Musk</a>. After SEC filings showed Musk <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-tesla-stock-sales-twitter-debt-inflation-recession-fed-2022-12?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">sold about $3.6 billion of Tesla stock</a>, its share price tumbled more than 15% amid a growing view that Twitter is becoming a distraction. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said that Musk is <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-elon-musk-twitter-sales-tsla-ev-damaging-wedbush-2022-12?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">using Tesla as his own ATM machine</a> to keep the platform afloat — and he wasn't alone in his criticisms. "Big Short" investor Danny Moses is now betting against Tesla and told CNBC "<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-elon-musk-twitter-brand-big-short-investor-danny-moses-2022-12?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">We're getting frustrated here because his attention span is being compromised</a>." Even the EV maker's third largest individual shareholder <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-investor-koguan-leo-new-ceo-elon-musk-twitter-focus-2022-12">called for a new CEO</a>. With real concerns that Tesla could lose ground as one of the world's key EV makers because of Musk's "<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-elon-musk-twitter-sales-tsla-ev-damaging-wedbush-2022-12">Twitter sideshow</a>", investors will be watching what happens next closely. This is a developing story and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla stock is currently up</a> almost 5% in premarket trading. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/elon-musk-criticisms-twitter-stock-sales-tesla-investor-issues-complaints-2022-12">Read more on Musk's tough week.</a>In other news:<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/wharton-jeremy-siegel-inflation-recession-unemployment-fed-stock-market-outlook-2022-12"></a><div type="image" title="jeremy siegel point" height="682" width="910" msid="96345173" hostid="261"></div>2. US stock futures are edging higher early Monday after closing out another week with losses as investors kept being plagued by worries about recession and Fed interest rate hikes. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/premarket">Here are the latest market moves.</a>3. Earnings on deck: HEICO Corp., Steelcase Inc., and more, all <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">reporting.</a>4. The 23 best stocks to buy in 2023, according to UBS. The firm anticipates the slowest economic global growth in decades, but it still sees some enticing opportunities in individual stocks. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investing-stocks-to-buy-2023-economy-recession-growth-outlook-ubs-2022-12">Check out their picks here.</a>5. The inflation threat has faded, unemployment is set to spike, and the US economy can still escape a recession. That's all according to Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel, who has made a slew of predictions recently. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/wharton-jeremy-siegel-inflation-recession-unemployment-fed-stock-market-outlook-2022-12">Read his 12 best quotes from last week.</a>6. What's next for the crypto industry? With daily trading volumes down 50% since FTX's collapse, we spoke with four crypto pros about where the industry is heading next. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/will-crypto-market-recover-outlook-expert-forecasts-trading-volume-decline-2022-12">Here's what they said.</a>7. Bank of America recommended investors buy stocks in three areas. Analysts at BofA expect a recession in the first quarter of 2023, but believe some companies are poised to navigate it successfully. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/recession-outlook-2023-q1-forecast-inflation-stock-market-recommendations-bofa-2022-12">Find out who they picked here.</a>8. A recession indicator with a perfect track record won't be accurate this time. That's according to Cam Harvey, the man who discovered the inverted yield curve. The recession indicator has preceded the last eight downturns — but Harvey laid out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-indicator-inverted-yield-curve-godfather-famous-wont-work-harvey-2022-12">three reasons why this time is different</a>. 9. How to time your purchases of high-dividend stocks to get the best possible income. Invesco investment chief and portfolio manager Pete Santoro broke down why finding high-free cash flow stocks is an important part of his strategy. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dividend-yield-investing-strategy-income-stock-picks-invesco-fund-manager-2022-12">Here's what he told Insider.</a><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/citi-commodities-global-energy-ed-morse-market-outlook-russia-china-2022-12"></a><div type="image" title="Brent crude price on December 19, 2022" height="1140" width="1054" msid="96345174" hostid="261"></div>10. Citi's global commodities chief explained his oil price forecast for 2023. ICYMI: Phil Rosen, your usual host of this newsletter, discussed the "stunning" state of America's oil industry with Citi's Ed Morse. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/citi-commodities-global-energy-ed-morse-market-outlook-russia-china-2022-12">Read the full story here.</a>Curated by Hallam Bullock in London. Feedback or tips? Email <a href="mailto:hbullock@insider.com">hbullock@insider.com</a>.Edited by Karen Friar in London.

A Twitter user poll voted Elon Musk out. Here's how the chaos impacts Tesla

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Courtesy of Jonathan WasserstrumJonathan Wasserstrum, CEO of SquareFoot.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>In offices that support employee well-being, "presence" is a major design principle - particularly where the CEO sits.</li><li>Jonathan Wasserstrum, the CEO and cofounder of SquareFoot, an office-space solution startup, has eschewed the typical "corner office" and instead sits in the middle of his team's office, and always has.</li><li>For him, the benefits far outweigh any negatives - he is accessible, invites a culture of collaboration, and is able to mentor.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>While C-level execs have traditionally assumed their spot in the corner office, new ways of working are leading to new ways of thinking about the workplace. The fact is that when it comes to corporate seating arrangements, location matters - particularly for the CEO. A recent report from Steelcase Inc. identified <a href="http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/1822507/2016-WPR/Americas/Final_Digital_PDF.pdf?__hssc=130454992.2.1558105228243&amp;__hstc=130454992.357f1cf9755f5d8decc696ffa03b2afa.1558105228243.1558105228243.1558105228243.1&amp;__hsfp=4041050352&amp;hsCtaTracking=c4b0755d-28b3-4695-905f-6441f786fc3b%7Cc9446cc4-9e70-44d2-9a1e-cd960a9fae7c">"presence"</a> - physical as well as virtual - as a key design principle in office ecosystems that support employee well-being. And since where the CEO sits has a major impact both on how approachable management seems and how employees experience a company's culture, chief execs who decide against their traditional corner-office seating to be positioned among staff members can gain in business results what they lose in exclusivity and privacy.<a href="https://www.squarefoot.com/">SquareFoot</a> CEO Jonathan Wasserstrum is one company head who realized this truth before most, back in 2011 when he cofounded a unique commercial real estate company that today features more than 300,000 office listings. "I learned early on in my career how important it is for the CEO to sit in the middle of the office, to be accessible and approachable," Wasserstrum told Business Insider. "So even from the start, I've always put myself there." He learned this form of leadership from his time spent as an analyst at Jones Lang LaSalle. After seeing a senior manager at that company structure his seat this way, Wasserstrum made a mental note that he would do the same when he was in charge of his own company. "I was able to see firsthand how the team reacted to him being in the middle of the room," Wasserstrum said. "It placed him on a more even footing to all employees in the team, boosted morale, and junior members of the team learned faster."Yet it's clearly much easier for a small launching company to create this type of CEO seating arrangement than for a growing mid-size or larger enterprise. Wasserstrum explained that what was a snap at a startup of 10 people took more commitment as the company has expanded over the past few years to over 50 employees. That commitment was recently tested during SquareFoot's office relocation this spring - but the chief exec held to his original vision."It was never something I had to reconsider because I know what kind of CEO I want to be. I live it every day," explained Wasserstrum. "I made sure that the seating chart allowed me to continue to lead by example. It's more challenging now, but everyone in my office is used to this setup by now, and the new employees seem to take to it quickly." Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/email-template-brought-in-100-of-my-clients-adrian-granzella-larssen-2019-6">One email I wrote brought in 100% of my clients after I started my business - here's the template</a><h2>Quality interactions with his team</h2>What can a CEO gain by shedding the generally coveted trappings of the corner office? Wasserstrum had no trouble listing several ways that the unconventional practice has helped his business, including the opportunity to provide impromptu mentorship. "I have always been dedicated to help all employees with advice and guidance and have always found this easiest when located centrally," he explained. "I feel it is important in creating the office culture that I envisioned for my business. One where people can openly ask questions, get feedback, and collaborate." As the Steelcase report illuminated, such layout efficiencies offer more than trivialities, but can lead to increased engagement and amplified performance that ultimately increase the bottom line. The research found that for better engagement, "Spaces should enable quality interactions with teams" - so it necessarily follows that by including the CEO as a central part of this information flow and communication loop, companies can gain a competitive advantage. While Wasserstrum admits that there has not necessarily been one specific deal or initiative that has come about based on his physical placement in the room, it has led to countless indirect benefits for the business. "By sitting in the middle, I get to hear a ton of random comings and goings that I otherwise wouldn't, and those tidbits are invaluable," he said. "These can range from conversations about product development to feedback our inbound team is hearing on the front lines from clients."Not everyone in the company reacts the same way to seeing the company co-founder in the mix with more junior-level employees. Some team members prefer to reach out to Wasserstrum in more traditional ways for contacting executives - such as via calendar or email - while others stop by in person when they see him at his desk as part of the open floor plan. "I haven't surveyed the whole team, but based on the way that colleagues talk to me, give me honest feedback, and openly reach out to me, the reaction seems positive," said Wasserstrum. "I am available for colleagues to drop by, but also for whenever someone is looking for me and some of my time, in whatever format that is."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/angel-investing-most-important-things-ive-learned-2019-6">I've been an angel investor in 100 companies in 8 years, including a bunch of unicorns. Here are the most important things I've learned</a><h2>The downsides to sitting in the middle of the room</h2>Wasserstrum also shares that his choice of desk space doesn't come without some inconveniences. "On the cons side of the equation, occasionally I have to put my headphones on to focus on work at my desk," he said. "And if I need to do deeper or more confidential work, I can book a conference room for an hour, just like anyone else. We all share the space the same way. That's the point."He added that it can also sometimes be a challenge to make sure his staff knows he is approachable so that people don't feel the need to act differently around him. To help avoid any awkwardness, Wasserstrum tries to ensure that he is accessible at company social events to network with the team.Despite these minor obstacles, the CEO finds that the pros of central seating vastly outweigh the cons. For one thing, sitting with the group instills trust and builds relationships across the business."I have more, and also better, conversations with my team daily, even hourly, and I know that my team takes advantage of their proximity to me," Wasserstrum said. "If I were in a corner office, even if I left the door open, I doubt anyone would seek me out and stop by. Instead, I have foot traffic drop by my desk whenever I'm there. I get to know my team and what they're working on better this way than if I were huddled up somewhere else." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kylie-jenner-kardashian-youngest-self-made-billionaire-forbes-net-worth-fortune-2019-3">Kylie Jenner is the world's second highest-paid celebrity. Here's how she makes and spends her $1 billion.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

I'm a CEO who gave up my corner office and placed my seat in the middle of the room - and it's been great for business

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> outbreak will have long-lasting effects on US workers, particularly when it comes to the open office made popular by <keyword id="6357722" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="silicon-valley">Silicon Valley</keyword> companies like Facebook and <keyword id="6355629" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword>. </li><li>Experts say that the open office was never very positive for employees, who reported feeling less productive and more distracted, got sick more easily, and felt pressured to work longer and harder because of their lack of privacy. </li><li>When offices begin reopening, whether that's this year or next summer, we're likely to see a shift away from the open floor plan. </li><li>"Open floor plans are most definitely going to disappear," Rhiannon Staples, chief marketing officer at human resources management company Hibob, told Business Insider. "I feel like it was already on its way out and this was the kick it needed to get it out the door."</li></ul>As the coronavirus continues its spread, unabated, in many parts of the US, it's becoming increasingly apparent that a return to "normal" is still far in the future. That's true for American office workers, many of whom have been working from their homes since March.But when workers are able to return to work en masse, whether that's this winter or a year from now, the office probably won't look as they left it. Corporations nationwide are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/going-back-to-work-office-design-coronavirus-2020-5">considering how to reopen spaces</a>, from new ventilation systems systems to socially distanced elevators and closed-off kitchens. But the biggest change might be to the space as a whole. Experts predict that the wide-open office, popularized by <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> industry titans like Google and Facebook, will become a thing of the past. The fad, already becoming passé, has become almost dangerous in the face of the virus — employees often sit packed in large, open rooms, with desks placed close enough to reach out and touch your coworker. But don't mourn the death of that open-office floor plan just yet: though it was once heralded as the key to employee collaboration and productivity, it was never all that great for workers anyway. <h2>The rise of the open office</h2><div type="image" title="Facebook NYC employees " height="860" width="1147" msid="77446462" hostid="261"></div>Beginning in the early aughts, American <keyword id="852424" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tech-workers">tech workers</keyword> began leaving cubicles behind in favor of an open-floor-plan office space. It all started with Google, which revealed its new headquarters, the Googleplex, in 2005. Based in Mountain View, California, it was — and still is — unlike any office in America. It had a bowling alley! And sleep pods! And even sand volleyball courts! The Googleplex, with its open design and flexible spaces, was heralded as the future. "The attitude was: We're inventing a new world, why do we need the old world?" Clive Wilkinson, the architect who designed the Googleplex, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90285582/everyone-hates-open-plan-offices-heres-why-they-still-exist">told Fast Company</a> last year. Soon, companies started coming to Wilkinson and saying they wanted to by like Google, he told Fast Company. Not long after, Facebook followed suit, opening what it says is the biggest open-floor-plan office in the world: approximately 2,800 employees working in "one giant room," <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/gehry-facebook-campus">CEO Mark Zuckerberg said</a> when it opened in 2015. "We saw a big pendulum shift where everyone came out of private offices and big cubicles into the open office, and that was an epic fail, because one size does not fit all. The open office has gotten a really bad rap as a result of doing it really badly," Melissa Hanley, CEO of the design firm Blitz, which counts Microsoft and Instacart among its clients, told Business Insider.At the time, the idea was that if you broke down physical barriers between workers, it would break down metaphorical ones as well. Employees would be able to easily collaborate on projects and would be enticed to engage in a free-flow of ideas with their next-door neighbor. The company's CEO, once ensconced in a glass corner office, would now sit right out on the floor next to their employees, a person of the people. But that's not exactly what happened. Instead, employees put on headphones to shut out the noise that came along with wide-open spaces. They reported feeling stressed, anxious, and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170105-open-offices-are-damaging-our-memories">less likely to collaborate</a> with those around them. In fact, a <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-truth-about-open-offices">Harvard Business Review study</a> from last year found that when a company switched to an open office, face-to-face interactions actually decreased by 70% — employees just communicated electronically instead. And that wasn't the only problem. A prescient <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ev8ae7/does-working-in-an-open-plan-office-affect-your-health">2018 piece by Vice's Mark Hay</a> argued that <keyword id="9727107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="open-offices">open offices</keyword> are vectors for disease, with employees who work in them taking more sick days than those who work in enclosed offices. "In the workplace, it only follows that if you're working in close proximity and handling objects and interacting closely with each other, it's a very easy route of transmission for germs, viruses, bacteria," Melissa Perry, a public-health researcher at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-office-reopening-workers-get-sick-covid-19-plan-2020-7">told Business Insider earlier this year</a>.<h2>Socializing productivity</h2><div type="image" title="Pinterest employees office headquarters" height="1998" width="2664" msid="77446464" hostid="261"></div>But beyond the prevalence of germs, there's another downside of the open office, at least for employees. "The open-plan office has always been in some ways in the interest of the company rather than the worker, because it socializes productivity," Melissa Gregg, Intel's chief technologist for user experience, recently <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/technology/salesforce-tech-office-coronavirus.html">told The New York Times</a>. "It forces workers to watch each other's work, and it creates very few spaces of privacy for individual workers." Mentally, there's a pressure that comes with open offices. Workers don't want to look like they're not working hard, or like they're ducking out early. As <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/success/tca-the-open-office-plan-is-backfiring-20180220-story.html">Jeff Pochepan argued in Inc Magazine</a> in 2018, this means that workers may work longer hours or feel undue pressure to be "on" and engaged 100% of the time, since everyone can see them. "I definitely think there's a concept within agile workplaces about accountability and thinking that you set something out that you're going to do and then you have to report back, did you do it," Hanley said. "I do think that the visual access to each other is probably feeding into that." Tracy Brower, a sociologist and principal in the Applied Research + Consulting Group at furniture manufacturer Steelcase, likened open offices to manufacturing, where workers generally kept an even, steady pace until a "rate-buster" came in — someone who worked harder and faster, thereby pushing the whole group too much."There's hustle culture where, I may not actually be more productive, but by goodness, I'm going to stay later than my boss, no matter what," Brower told Business Insider. "I think we can get caught up in working for the sake of working and being busy for the sake of being busy." <h2>'The kick it needed to get it out the door'</h2><div type="image" title="Google office Garage" height="2000" width="2667" msid="77446467" hostid="261"></div>In the short term, the office is already changing. Companies are considering density like never before, spacing out workstations, limiting large groups in conference rooms and elevators, and placing partitions in between desks, almost like the cubicles of yore. But these cosmetic alterations are likely to be the precursor to a bigger change. Even though a full return to the office still appears to be a long way off, experts agree that when we do return — perhaps in summer 2021, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-working-from-home-summer-2021-report-2020-7">Google</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-extends-work-from-home-june-2021-coronavirus-2020-8">Facebook</a> expect — we should expect some permanent changes. "Open floor plans are most definitely going to disappear," Rhiannon Staples, chief marketing officer at human resources management company Hibob, told Business Insider. "I feel like it was already on its way out and this was the kick it needed to get it out the door."But Brower said she doesn't think the open office is 100% dead — it's just going to feel different than it did in early 2020. "The pendulum has really swung toward open, open, open, and lots of density," Brower said. "I think what has now happened is we're starting to swing that pendulum way to the other side — more barriers, more boundaries, less density."While that mentality is critical for the safety of employees in the near future, Brower said she doesn't expect things to stay that way. "I think what we will end up seeing is that pendulum landing somewhere a little bit close to the middle," Brower said. "This is actually our opportunity to reimagine, reinvent, use the coronavirus almost as an accelerator to get to places that are maybe even better than it would have been."

Silicon Valley's open offices are probably over, thanks to the coronavirus — but they were always bad for employees anyway

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><a href="http://instagram.com/p/SuW4kFzQ5X/"> joelabell via Instagram</a></div>The idea of having employees walk around with electronic sensors to track their every move is unsettling. There are privacy and legal issues, and who wants to feel like they are just a cog in a system? 
But <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/big-data-more-distributive-nervous-system-2012-8">data companies say that the resulting reams of information</a> will improve life for companies and employees. 
<a href="http://www.sociometricsolutions.com/method.html">Sociometric Solutions</a> has created tracking devices for Bank of America, Steelcase, and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., and is in talks with General Motors. It was started by a team of Ph.D students from MIT who decided to study the chemistry behind what makes certain workspaces like Google great at building teams. They came up with sensors placed in employee identification badges that gather real-time information to help companies measure <keyword id="23080" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="productivity">productivity</keyword>. The sensors identify a person's tone of voice, movement and even their posture when communicating with others. 
"Google really cares about creating a community because the social conversations — the ones at the water cooler, coffee maker — those are the ones that have the biggest impact," says Ben Waber, president of Sociometrics and one of the company's founders. "In the U.S., there's this notion that your most productive time is when you're sitting at your desk staring at the computer," and that's not necessarily true. 
The sensors are intended to measure when and how employees are truly productive. While individual information is collected, it's anonymized to provide metadata and hedge against privacy concerns. The information is then used to suggest how employees, and the company as a whole, can work more efficiently. 
"The legality behind this," says Arena, "that's the biggest unanswered question. Privacy online is sort of open and privacy issues are going to be the stumbling block for a long time. And that's a big, big question." 
The tracking sensors
Waber's team places electronic sensors in employees' badges, which includes a Bluetooth, a microphone (it doesn't record what people say, but rather the tone of their voice, speaking speed, and volume), a motion sensor to measure movement, and an infrared beam.
<div class="image-container float_left" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div>Sociometric SolutionsA sociometric sensor device.</div>The idea is that these analytic tools can help determine the nature of the conversations people are having. For example, the microphone can measure speaking tone, and the higher someone's tone or the faster they speak can indicate how excited or passionate they are at any given time.
The infrared can also sense if another badge is in sight, which gives researchers an idea of how people stand when speaking to others. For example, people who usually have others facing them when speaking are more dominant personalities. On the other hand, when two people are engaged in an interesting conversation, they will likely mirror one another, which signals more equality.
"We’ve been able to foretell, for example, which teams will win a business plan contest, solely on the basis of data collected from team members wearing badges at a cocktail reception," <a href="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/sandy">Alex Pentland</a>, a professor at MIT and also an advisor to Waber's group, wrote <a href="http://hbr.org/2012/04/the-new-science-of-building-great-teams/ar/1">for the Harvard Business Review.</a> 
Since privacy is the biggest concern over the devices, after behavioral/productivity reports are sent to individuals, their identities are removed from the system so the names associated with individual sensors are never revealed to employers.
The testing grounds
Bank of America got on board with the sensors a few years ago when it wanted to study how group dynamics impacted performance. It tested them out on 90 call center employees. Arena says that the company discovered how important it was to allow employees to take breaks together. During that time, employees would often troubleshoot their <keyword id="6357280" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="workplace">workplace</keyword> problems. While sensors didn't monitor conversation, they did report "a cohesiveness was shared between the coworkers," says Arena, and the company eventually experienced a 10 percent improvement in productivity by making some workplace culture changes after the study. 
Although Bank of America tested its call center employees, Arena said he thinks the data "has bigger ramifications in professional jobs than anywhere else," because you will inevitably be able to "understand how one person steps into the room and influences others."
"It has greater ramifications in leadership than hourly workers, but it's in the early stages." Arena is now the head of global talent at General Motors, and told us the company is considering "doing very similar things."
<a href="http://www.steelcase.com/en/Pages/Homepage.aspx">Steelcase</a>, which makes office furniture, works with Sociometric to develop sensory products for its own merchandise. For example, its <a href="http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/gesture/pages/overview.aspx">new chair</a>, Gesture, is "<a href="http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/gesture/pages/overview.aspx">designed to </a><a href="http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/gesture/pages/overview.aspx">support our interactions with today’s technologies" and was "inspired by the movement of the human body."</a> The new chair can actually tell employers how it's being used by employees, which will give employers a better idea of what size tables and chairs to buy in order to promote better communication and, inevitably, a more productive team.
"What we hoped to learn was how things influence interactions and how spaces affect those interactions," Dave Lathrop, director of workspace futures and strategy at the company, told us.
Lathrop says most of us don't know how we interact with others. For example, if you have a dominating personality, you could be "forcing people to shut down" and make them distrust you without even knowing it.
"Yahoo and Best Buy are asking people to come back to the office, which does suggest that there's a general belief that when people get physically together, it's valuable," he says. "We're at this magical moment where we can do things that we couldn't do before ... having the analytics that we do. ... As a researcher, I'm incredibly hopeful that this will give us good data on the quality of interactions between people."
But at the end of the day, employees need to feel comfortable with the idea of being tracked, even if it's anonymously — and that may take a while.

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