As interior designers, we want to make the world a better place. Some people may think that we do that through beautification, but when it comes to office design we focus more on how to influence employee behaviors through the design of space. And our goal is to encourage good behavior and prevent the bad.
Designing Offices Where Privacy Doesn’t Compromise Safety
Designing office space is increasingly complicated in a post #MeToo era when more people are concerned with how to curtail sexual harassment and create safe spaces for all employees. Those responsible for making decisions about office space can ask themselves several questions. For example, how much privacy is too much privacy? On the one hand, employees need quiet space to effectively do their work and to tend to their needs without being too exposed (think about having to make a difficult call to a doctor’s office). On the other hand, too much privacy can cause people to feel unsafe. Or, can there be too much transparency in a space? Certainly lots of open spaces can make workers feel exposed and vulnerable. Interior design decisions won’t completely prevent harassment, of course, just as policies won’t. But making decisions that consider how to encourage good behavior and discourage the bad, can help create spaces where everyone feels safe coming to work.