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Office workers want privacy, quiet and natural views

Recently published research reveals that office workers want improved privacy, peace and quiet, and access to natural views and daylight – all of which you can find in abundance in our serviced office space.

The research was carried out as part of a thesis by Cornell University Master of Science Student Teresa Mary Bevacqua and made available via the university’s website.

She looked at a variety of factors that can influence an employee’s satisfaction with their workplace, specifically in an office environment and including things like privacy, noise levels, natural daylight and views of the outside world.

Her research revealed that office workers appreciate having a level of control over their environment, including the option of working in a private setting without distracting noise, and with the ability to take in natural views and daylight.

How to help office workers remember

An interesting theme in Ms Bevacqua’s literature review is that of memory. She found numerous references to office workers’ memory in previous studies of workplace variables.

For example, she found that noisy workplaces, particularly when associated with low motivation and employee exhaustion, can lead to poorer recollection.

In contrast, warm lighting conditions – where light is less bluish and more yellowish – can boost long-term recall and recognition.

These surprising conclusions from previous studies seem to suggest that a quiet office environment with warm lighting or natural daylight can actually lead to office workers having a better memory for information learned while at work.

What’s a good view?

If you’re going to have natural daylight streaming in from the windows, the next question is what will you see when you look outside?

Ms Bevacqua noted “an abundance of health benefits” that arise from having access to views of nature from inside the workplace, such as less impact from headaches and reduced discomfort relating to issues of concentration.

Some of the natural views considered “more restorative than others” include flowers and foliage, along with calm or slowly moving water, something you’ll find outside the windows of our serviced offices in Manchester and London alike.

Her research even found one individual who struggled to see their work because their chair blocked the light – a good example of how artificial light can be unfit for purpose.

Putting you in control

We are proud to provide serviced office space that puts you in control of many different factors in how you use your work space.

Our serviced offices have large windows to let in as much natural light as possible, with views out across the water of either Salford Quays for our serviced offices in Manchester, or the River Thames for our serviced offices in London.

You get your own offices, so you can make your space as quiet or as bustling as you wish, with the option to book meeting rooms for extra privacy and peace when you need it.

All of this adds up to a workplace that you can enjoy, delivering on all of the many and varied benefits mentioned above.