A 2022 survey found that 69% of employees in NZ are finding it difficult to concentrate at work¹. What role can dedicated concentration zones and focus work facilities within workplace design play to improve this statistic, and productivity for NZ business?

Changing demographics and influences like technology have driven the evolution of workplace design. Where offices were once designed for efficiency and speed, today they encompass aspects of wellbeing and collaboration.

In 1964, designer Robert Propst was among one of the first to argue that mental effort was tied to a suitable working environment, and introduced designs for activity-based working. And while these designs were arguably a precursor for the infamous cubicle farms of the 1980’s, the principle of work environments and the influence they have over productivity and wellbeing has remained.

Out of the pandemic and ‘work-form-home experiment², we have recognised that people can work productively from home. The workplace was since championed as a space to reconnect with colleagues in person, to engage in social activities and reignite the interpersonal interactions and collaborations. A U.S Workplace Survey conducted in 2022 suggests the WFH novelty may be wearing thin, with the top ranked reason to come to the office being ‘to focus on my work2’.

Whilst we are building the ability to support social learning and in-person collaboration spaces, it is important to retain and develop effective spaces to support individual work. Employees crave a place to get their work done efficiently. This can be individual workspaces, meditation spaces, outdoor workspaces, focus rooms or quiet/tech free zones.

Effective workplaces are those which offer a range of settings from quiet zones and focus rooms to collaboration hubs and thriving cafeteria spaces. These interactive spaces are important to create a workplace where people want to come and where they fear missing out if they are not there. Emphasis must also be shared on the concentration zones to create environments with a lack of distractions, reduction in stress and boosting focus. By focusing on work and limiting distractions, it becomes easier to get into a state of flow and achieve greater success in completing tasks.

When real estate is tight, it can be a challenge to balance these differing needs with a limited footprint. Concentration zones can be achieved through clever furniture selections like meeting pods, hush booths with upholstered walls for acoustic softening and phone booths. Most furniture options like these will allow flexibility for people to choose where they work and how they work, all without needing permanent renovations or alterations.

The flexibility of enabling people to choose where to work also extends to their choice of technology. Look for solutions with integrated power or data that are compatible with the types of devices and wireless charging.

Where activity-based working once meant that staff could work in significantly different ways, on completely different projects in the same space, contemporary dynamic activity-based working means that responsive spaces that remain open, but allow for collaboration and inspiration, without crowding or disruption. It recognises the value in giving people a choice.

¹ As reported by The Annual Workplace Wellbeing Survey2022  by EMA and nib health insurance.

² As reported by the Gensler U.S. Workplace Survey 2022