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Privacy in the Workplace Design

The world is experiencing an era of transformation and nowhere is change being felt more than in the work environment. Flexibility, productivity, creativity, teamworking are the new buzz words which appear in any discourse on office environment. New, innovative, flexible working methods have been introduced such as hot-desking, hotelling etc, as well as the re-examination of the open plan work spaces with which we have become familiar. The innovative methods are well documented. However, there is little published about the actual effect of these environments on the employees who work there. Guidelines setting standards for space, lighting, heating and cooling are generally based on pure ergonomics and technical data rather than consideration of the psychological needs of the employees. The need for privacy is a vital issue which has not been given due consideration in many workspaces, particularly open-plan configurations. The need for teamworking and interaction is recognized as a necessity of today's work environment which cannot be achieved by reverting to individual private offices. However, employees do need a certain level of privacy and confidentiality; the solution of pre-bookable rooms accessed directly from the open-plan area may not satisfy this need (Stansall, 2000, p.46). Office design must aim to achieve a balance between the requirement for collaborative working methods and the personal needs of the individual. Ultimately it is this balance that will improve productivity and creativity. The people making decisions about the layout and furniture of an office environment can have an enormous impact on the well-being and eventual productivity of employees. But on what do they base their decisions? Is it all just based on assumption? Do office workers need privacy? Do all workers need privacy all the time? What level of privacy is required? This paper reflects on employees' needs and preferences for privacy in the workplace through the examination of the results of the authors' research findings. The issue of privacy was considered not in isolation but in the context of several physical and psychological factors that can affect the health and wellbeing of employees in the workplace. The research comprised a nationwide questionnaire and interview with recorded observations, and provides statistical data to guide designers and managers in future decision-making.