There are quite a few companies in North America that sell and install modular office partitions and modular walls. These temporary walls are often made from laminate, glass, or fabric and can usually be customized to match an office’s décor, depending on the company. They are fully adaptable, able to be set up in almost any configuration you can think of.
But when picturing “office partitions,” most people would imagine your standard cubicle; row after row of fabric partition walls coming up no higher than your shoulder, boxes so small you can wheel your chair from one side to the other in less than a second. These kinds of “cubicle farms” can wreak havoc on an employee’s productivity, slowing their creativity and their enjoyment of their work.
However, things are changing. Several companies, including IMT Modular Partitions, are embracing a much more aesthetically-pleasing version of those cubicles.
It used to be rare for partitions to go from floor to ceiling; now, it’s becoming more and more popular to use these temporary walls to create conference rooms and modular offices from what used to be an open area. Fabric walls are now losing the fight to beautiful tempered glass partitions and wood finish laminate.
Businesses are opting for these beautiful alternatives instead of constructing and designing their office floor plans using drywall and paint, and there are so many good reasons to do so—but the biggest one of all is how it affects their employees and their bottom line.
Cost Effectiveness of Modular Office Partitions
First and most obviously, office partitions are significantly less costly than construction, for several reasons:
- Quick and easy installation – fewer workers are needed to install and after agreeing on the design, almost no prep work in the space is required.
- Little disruption to your employees – most would be able to work while the installation was occurring. Anyone who was temporarily displaced would quickly be able to return to work.
- Less dust and debris to clean – once it’s up, it’s up.
So not only will it be less out of your pocket to design and build your wall partitions, it will also have less of an adverse effect on your employees, thereby allowing business to continue almost as if nothing had occurred.
Not only that, but with the option to move the pieces around, you have a kind of flexibility you could never dream of with drywall. You just need to dissemble the piece and reassemble in the new location. Unless you’re moving a large modular wall, smaller pieces can be moved without any professional help. Demountable partitions and demountable partition walls make things even easier; these are full-height and half-height partitions that are specifically designed to be quickly relocated anywhere around the office.
This option is ideal for business owners who are leasing their offices or who have a very limited amount of space to deal with. It allows you the freedom to make changes to the floor plan without the commitment of construction.
Also, a business owner needn’t worry about any staff additions or reductions; changes to the office configuration are easily achieved to provide more or less space as needed. And it is incredibly important to a business how the space is used; if used in the right way, the resulting environment could bring about enormous growth, and greater productivity—due to how the employee reacts to his workplace.
Modular Office Partitions and the new Work Environment
There are several ways the workplace environment can impact an employee and their productivity levels. Let’s take a look at how a variety of wall partitions can have an effect on some of these:
- Natural light – Here is where glass office partitions are most helpful. They allow light from a nearby window to enter throughout a space, yet still divide an office without completely isolating anyone. Glass partition walls provide a bright, airy environment. Or another option is to have modular walls designed with windows, or use “duo segmentation”—meaning a partition wall that combines laminate panels and glass panels to promote both natural light as well as a certain amount of privacy.
- Noise control – Wall partitions are vital when it comes to noise control. It allows you to separate quiet spaces from central collaboration areas, letting teams of employees have conversations and work together without disturbing others. In this case, using acoustic partitions—modular walls specifically designed with noise dampening properties—would be incredibly useful.
- Color – The aesthetic of an office has a significant impact on employees. If the environment has not had a change in color and design in a number of years, it could be expensive to change the entire space. With modular partitions and architectural partitions available in a number of laminates and a wide range of color options for door and window trim, updating your office is as easy and cost-effective as can possibly be.
All three of the above factors are improved by the use of partitions, and when combined properly, employees can have better concentration, better communication, and more enjoyment of their job and their space. But understanding your employees and their needs is another very important factor.
Office Happiness with the Use of Office Partitions
Focusing on exactly how your employees function in their space will help you determine what kinds of partitions are needed. For example:
- Do their jobs require a lot of interaction? – The use of glass partition walls would be helpful here, allowing employees almost complete access to each other.
- Is there a group collaborating on a long-term project? – Once again, demountable walls allow for a temporary configuration that can be relocated after the project is complete.
- Are they primarily independent workers and require their privacy? – Or perhaps they have a lot of sensitive conversations with customers or clients on the phone or in person. In these cases, office glass partitions would not be the right choice. Instead, architectural walls or acoustic partitions can give employees the right kind of environment for their needs.
Your employees are the most important factor in your business, and they deserve an efficient and comfortable space that allows them to accomplish their goals and make their productivity skyrocket. Make your office work for your employees instead of the other way around.