The Ultimate Guide to Office Pods

In the modern workplace, the open floor plan often resembles a bustling ecosystem, with individuals from diverse backgrounds and work styles coexisting within the same space. While this model fosters collaboration, it may inadvertently hinder the concentration and productivity of certain employees, particularly those who value privacy and quietude. Addressing this balance is pivotal for cultivating a productive and harmonious work environment. Office pods are the solution to helping your people regain focus, boost productivity, and make workplace happiness levels rise.

This guide is intended to take you through what these pods are, why you need them, and how they can be a great fit for your industry. 

What are Office Pods?

Office pods are self-contained, semi-enclosed spaces within an office setting. You can think of them as a personal oasis in a busy office — your own tiny island of calm. 

These pods, also called office phone booths, come in all shapes and sizes, and can be configured to suit you and your company’s needs. You can use them for everything — from focused work and private meetings to meditating. Additionally, you can design your pod in any way that you. Most corporations, however, like their office booths to have desks and comfortable seating over tiki torches. 

Side note: Office pods aren’t just for the office anymore. Tuesday, a soundproof home office pod, is designed for you to find peace and quiet where you live and work. 

Key Benefits of Office Pods

With the widespread adoption of open-concept workspaces, office pods have grown in popularity — who wouldn’t want the option of a private, quiet, and functional space? Next time your coworker is having a sales call while you are trying to work on a pitch deck, you will learn to see why people appreciate these office booths. In short, they make work life better. 

Just in case you need a few talking points to bring to your budgetary team, here are six benefits of work pods. 

Privacy and Quiet 

Ever wished for a cone of silence when you needed to figure out the perfect way to word an important email? Or maybe you need a soundproof sanctuary where you can discuss giving the content marketing team a year-end bonus? 

Privacy pods guarantee your conversation will not be the subject of the next water-cooler gossip. You can deep-dive into your work without anyone peering over your shoulder. 

Noise Reduction

On the flip side of finding a quiet place to work, office pods also significantly reduce noise pollution in an open office. Reduce overall office chatter and white noise by having more individuals do their heads-down work in our Inbox Booths. 

Modular Flexibility 

Need to move things around the office to incorporate a new team? Need to make changes to your floorplan for your employees? With work pods, you can relocate and reconfigure to suit your changing layout. Make the best use of your space and respond immediately to shifting needs with inbox booths. 

Collaboration Encouraged 

There is nothing worse than trying to have a brainstorming session in a quiet, open-concept office. As soon as you get momentum bouncing ideas around, your creativity is stifled by the feeling that you are disturbing your neighbors. 

So, do you think your office is optimized for productivity?

Our modular meeting rooms and office pods let your workers hold impromptu collaboration sessions, striking while the creative iron is hot. Or you can use them for private one-on-ones, fostering a sense of intimacy a huge boardroom just does not have. 

Productivity 

One of the primary benefits of a work pod is its ability to create distraction-free workspaces. Open-plan offices have near-constant noise and interruptions, hindering even your most laser-focused worker’s productivity. 

An office phone booth provides a haven for employees to focus on tasks without the distraction of individuals chatting by the coffee machine or people taking phone calls in the middle of the office. 

Employee Well-Being

Comfortable furniture, good lighting, airflow, and soundproofing all nurture a balanced sense of place. These present-but-unnoticed aspects of a well-made privacy pod promote a sense of well-being among your employees. They’ll feel like they’re in their home-away-from-home pod. 

How a Phone Booth Can Make Your Office a More Accessible Place 

Besides the above benefits, office phone booths play a crucial role in promoting accessibility and inclusivity for the neurodivergent community within the workplace. With privacy pods in place, your workplace is saying, “People should not have to modify who they are to fit into a space; the space should be modified to suit the people.”

Neurodiversity spans workforces; it’s one commonality you will find within any group of people. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sensory processing disorders (SPD) are all conditions that can hugely benefit from office phone booths. Here’s how: 

Solving Sensory Sensitivity

Heightened sensory sensitivities are a common trait for many neurodivergent individuals, making them more susceptible to distractions and sensory overload in open-plan offices. Meeting pods provide a controlled environment with reduced noise and visual distractions, allowing neurodivergent employees to work in a more comfortable and focused setting.

Enhancing Well-being

Everyone should feel seen and heard, especially a community who are often overlooked when it comes to workplace needs. When you show your neurodivergent employees that you accommodate and embrace their varied sensory preferences, you are showing them the organization accepts and celebrates them. 

Creating Confidential Spaces 

Say your employee Amy prefers to keep her ASD diagnosis private from her colleagues but wants to discuss an accommodating work structure with her managing director. She can head into a pod to discuss strategies for workplace success and support without fear of exposure.

Providing Equitable Opportunities

By offering an accessible and inclusive workspace, you are showing your employees your commitment to diversity and inclusion. You are walking the DE&I walk, not just talking the talk. Giving neurodivergent employees equitable opportunities opens your organization up to a whole new talent pool. 

Industries that Benefit from Pods 

Corporate settings aren’t the only place that can benefit from pods. Any industry with an open-plan environment can often lead to noisy overload and frustrated people. Pods offer benefits that can span across diverse sectors. 

Schools and Universities 

Education is an arena where the advantages of pods are becoming increasingly evident. Open-plan classrooms, libraries, and lecture halls, while meant to foster collaboration, can often be overwhelming for students, particularly those who are neurodivergent. 

Pods are invaluable at educational facilities for the following reasons:

• Reduced overstimulation: Pods create a controlled environment, something we know supports neurodivergent individuals. 
• Routine and predictability: Pods offer a sanctuary for students by providing routine and predictability. Consistency is paramount for many young individuals with conditions such as autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorders.
• Enhanced comfort and safety: By offering a consistent and controlled workspace, pods act as a haven, countering the unpredictability of open-plan spaces. They allow students to focus on their studies, fostering a sense of comfort and security.

Healthcare and Medical Facilities

The healthcare industry is no stranger to the need for privacy and concentration. Pods are beginning to become popular as mini-medical offices, with privacy frosted glass applied. These pods provide the medical industry with a few benefits, such as: 

• Patient privacy: In medical settings, privacy is paramount. Pods offer a solution to ensure patient confidentiality.
• Concentration and efficiency: Healthcare professionals require a focused environment for critical tasks such as reviewing patient records, analyzing test results, and making healthcare decisions. Pods provide a quiet, dedicated space for these tasks, increasing efficiency.
• Reduced stress: Pods can offer a secluded space and often a tranquil atmosphere away from the chaos of a busy hospital

Airports

An airport at prime travel time is a bustling hub of activity. Pods, much like the ONE booth, are bettering the airport experience by providing a fix to common frustrations:

• Rest and recharge: Travelers often face long layovers or delayed flights. Pods at airports offer a cozy retreat for weary travelers to rest, recharge devices, and even nap.
• Work and productivity: For business travelers, pods provide a quiet space to catch up on work, attend virtual meetings, or make calls without the distractions of a crowded terminal.
• Enhanced accessibility: Airports are accommodating diverse needs by offering pods that are accessible to travelers with disabilities, ensuring everyone can benefit from these private spaces.

Finance and Legal Firms 

When it comes to finance and legal sectors, precision and confidentiality are key. Office privacy booths are a game-changer in this situation. They meet the unique needs of professionals in this industry in more than a few ways. 

• Confidentiality: Soundproof phone booths provide ideal spaces for in-depth discussions, allowing financial experts to hold confidential client meetings, brainstorm investment strategies, and analyze market trends.
• Work and productivity: In legal firms, privacy pods create secluded spaces for sensitive discussions, enabling attorneys to strategize, prepare cases, and consult clients without risking information leaks, thus enhancing efficiency and privacy standards.
• Efficiency: Amid high-pressure situations and busy office hours, these privacy pods provide much-needed solace, and ensure precision, focus, and confidentiality, thereby elevating the efficiency and privacy standards of these firms.

Office pods can be a transformative solution to common open-concept workplace frustrations. Your employees will reap wide-ranging benefits, like enhanced privacy, flexibility, improved well-being, and noise reduction, all of which contribute to a more productive and harmonious work environment.

You can shop our wide range of booths here.