Privacy at work and the rise of the 'quiet space'

How much noise is too much in the office? As workers have returned to their desks, managing sound levels has become an art - and a science.

- Emma Jacobs

Employees at Levenfeld Pearlstein, a Chicago law firm, are getting ready for an office move in January - from the middle of the city's business district to the riverside by getting rid of the work detritus on their desks and taking home their personal possessions. Not only will the new workspace be smaller (from 53,000 sq ft to about 37,500 sq ft) but there will also be fewer assigned offices.

It's a move that Mr Kevin Corrigan, the chief operations officer, anticipates might trigger upset. "Some people are going to feel, I've worked hard for my office, I've come up the ranks. Now you are going to reduce the size of the office. I might not even have one. It'll be a change for people." This is not just a matter of ego.

The firm wants to encourage staff back into the office part-time, as like many employers it is embracing hybrid work, a mix of working from home and the office.

Typically, time at home is earmarked for focused work, while the workplace is the destination for collaboration, in-person meetings and socialising.

Advertising company McCann, for example, has opened new offices in the City of London, and sees them as a centre for "creativity, collaboration and connection" with hack rooms, pitch rooms and creative zones, according to Ms Lucy d'Eyncourt-Harvey, its building operations director.

However, she says, there are also quieter areas in the new workspace.