According to a recent survey by Memoori, 71.4% of respondents in open plan offices say that the layout improves their productivity. In contrast, of the respondents working in cellular offices, only 44.2% say that layout improves productivity. “This is our clearest indication that on the spectrum of open to cellular office layout, the significant majority of office workers feel more productive in open plan offices,” highlights The Future Workplace: Smart Office Design in the Internet of Things Era, a comprehensive report on the evolution of smart commercial buildings. The critical debate in the ‘office layout’ section of the report is between open-plan and cellular offices, and therefore between isolation for focus versus accessibility for collaboration. Both collaboration and focus appear to be beneficial for increasing productivity, however these two elements are often at odds with one other; focused environments inhibit collaboration and collaborative environments lead to distraction. “While employee focus may benefit from isolation, the […]