---

What do we mean by “personal spaces” in the context of an office?

We’re talking about areas where employees can make their own. Rather than sharing a desk with multiple people, they have their private area. This doesn’t mean they’re locked away in a room on their own – it may not even mean they have a little cubicle – all that matters is that they’re the only one occupying their desk.9

For years, there’s been a big misconception that offices should be open spaces where everyone can sit together and collaborate. We were led to believe this was beneficial, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Rather than focusing on developing office spaces with shared working areas, every office needs to incorporate personal spaces for every employee. All workers should have their own desk – and we’ll explain why this is so fundamentally important.

Personal Spaces Improve Mental Health

Having a personal space to sit at when you work is good for your mental well-being. You feel more secure and in control when you’ve got a desk and can work without constant distractions from the person next to you. This can reduce stress in the workplace and lead to a more positive mental connection between your employees and their job.

People are happier to go to work when they know a personal space is waiting for them. When you have loads of work to do and you’re forced to sit at a long table with loads of other people chatting nearby, it makes you feel very anxious and stressed. You just want to sit alone at a desk and knuckle down – that’s what personal spaces allow!

Personal Spaces Improve Physical Health

If every employee has a dedicated desk, they’re free to adapt it however they wish. You should give your workers the freedom to do so and let them order specific desk chairs or stands to raise their monitors. They can bring keyboards and mice from home or get wristrests to put on the desk.

All of this allows an employee to make the desk fit their ergonomic needs. They cultivate the most comfortable workstation possible, which will improve their physical health. They’ll be less likely to suffer from back or neck pain at work – which can also make them more focused and productive. Shared workstations are harder to personalise so many workers end up feeling physically uncomfortable throughout the day.

Personal Spaces Boost Security In The Office

Crafting personal spaces for your employees means they have somewhere to keep their belongings. It boosts office security as there’s almost no chance of belongings being stolen or misplaced. Every employee keeps their stuff around their desk – or you can install lockers for staff to give them another little personal area. This one is much smaller, but it means every employee has an enclosed locker to keep their personal belongings.

Adding locks to desk drawers or cabinets further enhances security and gives your employees more peace of mind while they work. Ultimately, you’re taking away another nagging worry that could be going on in their brains.

Personal Spaces Unlock True Productivity

A critical part of running a business is maintaining peak productivity for as long as possible. You need your workers to work well for you – but you also want to avoid burning them out. It’s all about making them work smarter not harder to improve productivity, and giving them personal space does exactly that.

It kind of goes back to the point about ergonomics and comfort. Desks can be personalised by employees to make them as comfortable to work at as possible, which will aid efficiency. However, letting your workers customise their workstations also means they can get into their most productive zone. Some employees may prefer to work in a certain way with headphones on while others like to have their equipment set up in a precise way. Personal spaces let them tweak things and cultivate the perfect office workstation for the most productivity possible.

Make Use Of Personal Spaces In Your Office

Personal spaces are massively beneficial for your office and you should design it so every employee has a desk. You can make them work in little cubicles if you want, but it’s up to you how the office is designed.

This ensures you see all the advantages mentioned above – though there’s a big BUT to consider. Give everyone personal spaces BUT make sure there are some communal areas too. The goal is to let people work efficiently on their own while still having a friendly environment. Employees can take breaks around a table together or sit on a sofa during lunch. You don’t want everyone to be distant from one another; they should be encouraged to chat and hang out, but when work time comes, they need a personal desk.