Trend Watch: Office Pods

It’s not uncommon for the office to be thought of as just the space that physically holds your company, its furniture and its workforce. Well, it’s much more important than that.

Several studies have shown that our physical environment directly effects our productivity at work (as well as our health and wellbeing). In fact, a well-designed office is said to increase productivity by around 20%.

But, we hear you sigh, where to start? Are we right? Let’s begin with one element we’ve seen in several modern space designs: the pod.

A brief background

The office of the 20^th century was a dreary, grey, lonely place. The environment was a rigid one, closer to an assembly line than the excitement of Mad Men and Wolf of Wall Street.

Photo from: Tradesy

As time went on, we saw a move to an ‘open plan’ design. The idea being that the communal working environment would promote collaboration and communication between colleagues, a culture of flexibility, openness and transparency. Literally providing a ‘group’ working environment.

Today, the focus is not only on employee wellbeing (think more natural lighting, colourful furniture, breakout areas, sit stand desks and so on) but also flexibility. Staff no longer want to be tied to desks or even single use spaces. We often work on the go, on different devices, spontaneously with different teams, at different times of day etc. The spaces we work in need to support new ways of working and adapt as we do.

Enter, the pod.
We hear you, it seems almost like a reversal to the day of cubicle farms. But, hear us out.

The modern-day pod is not only eye-catching with a wide range of colours and materials available, but also allows for something the open plan office doesn’t: private conversations and private working.

Photo from: Orangebox

The open plan office is often loud – phones ringing, colleagues having conversations – pods support noise occlusion in their design. Their reduced sound levels promote productivity for those tasks that are best done in isolation.

What’s more, pods are multi-purpose. They come in a variety of sizes: from individual working spaces to large meeting rooms. Their walls are often glass, so the office doesn’t lose the communal feel, while allowing for a secluded space when it’s needed.

Photo from: Orangebox

Often, pods are made in such a way that their walls can be opened up for larger events. Flexibility at its finest.

Photo from: Connection

And finally, pods are modular elements – built of prefabricated parts for a particular purpose. They are erected and dismantled easily, meaning you can take them with you as your company grows.

So, what is it we’re trying to say?
Today, our work lives are much more agile than those of our parents and grandparents. We want to be able to plug in and go in the space that is most conducive to the task at hand and what that is, is not always the same. The pod allows you to easily offer a flexible, fit for purpose, secluded space for those assignments that need it, while still supporting a communal, social working space for those that don’t. All with a solution that can be easily relocated should it need to be.

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