Balancing introverted and extroverted employees in an open office: Feeling overwhelmed by conflicting needs?

With private offices at a premium, spaces with higher partitions that have sound-dampening can make heads-down work possible in open, noisier settings. Even individual soft seating with integrated power and privacy can provide enough space and quiet for focus work.

Collaboration hubs can be just as effective for introverts! Providing a dedicated space and time for teamwork allows introverts to invest their social energy wisely, fully engaging in collaboration before recharging with solo work. Introversion isn’t about being asocial; it’s about managing the cost of interactions on their social battery. With the right space and tools, introverts can optimize their social time and offer their best contributions to collective efforts.

I'd like to add, and emphasize the behavioural aspect of collaboration and establishing a collaborative climate suited for BOTH the extraverted AND introverted. No design can remove a non-inclusive climate and a place where there is lack of psychological safety. If I where to rank importance, behaviour is 80% and the rest is physical and technical design and not to mention governance and processes.

Open areas with whiteboards, mobile technology tools, and integrated storage (multi-functional pieces) can provide either formal or informal settings to connect and get meaningful collaborative work done. Integrating these types of spaces throughout the floor plate allows collaboration to naturally happen and facilitates engagement and interaction amongst teams.

In an Office space people of different personality type can be working together. I believe in Hot Desking Policy and implementing the same can be beneficial for every employees. It can be helpful in providing flexible working environment, improved collaboration, and optimization of office space usage. Balancing the noise level is an important factor and using a headphones to listen to audios and attending meetings can be helpful for others and Direct meetings should be taken to Meeting Rooms if it is a distraction to others. Sometimes even extroverts may be searching for a quiet corner to concentrate on their works. So irrespective of Personalities, Flexible Desking Policy should be implemented.

At our office we provide the opportunity to choose a working station where one’s back is facing the wall and people are walking behind your back. For some this has drastic effect on their ability to concentrate - persons benefiting of this are often introverts, but as an ambivert I also prefer work station without traffic behind my back.

I've had the opportunity to work at places where desks are bookable. This is key to knowing you have a designated landing spot throughout the day. Working in freestyle environments means your desk isn't always available, so you might take up time being on the lookout for an available work space that allows for heads-down work, meetings, etc. Balancing the type of activity you're doing with what space is available to facilitate that can be tricky.

Depending on the type of office environment, personalization might be taken too far so as to distract from the overall environment, branding, and feel of a space. Allowing employees to personalize their space within certain parameters or guardrails can help folks feel like they have agency to make the space their own, without creating disruption.

Implementing quiet time in the workplace can significantly enhance focus and productivity. It allows individuals to work in solitude, giving them the space to prioritize and assess their workload more effectively. Even just an hour of dedicated focus time can help clear mental clutter and lead to better management of tasks. Whether it’s stepping into a quiet pod or simply putting on headphones to block out environmental noise, creating these moments of calm can make all the difference in a busy workday.

I've never heard of this practice and feel it would be beneficial if it could be effectively enforced. Open office environments can be challenging with noise levels that waver throughout the day. Knowing designated quiet hours are in effect could help bring the energy down at certain times and help with focusing. Early mornings and late afternoons would be a good example of times to limit noise, when employees are most likely to be checking email first thing in the morning, or wrapping up their day and transitioning out of the office.

I recommend rebranding Quiet Time to Deep Work or Focus Time. Research shows that even short periods of uninterrupted work—free from meetings, notifications, or calls—help employees excel, particularly with analytical tasks. Interruptions can take 8-40 minutes to recover full focus, so scheduled Focus Time would be a zero-cost investment with high returns. Work is noisy enough; everyone benefits from a quiet moment to truly get things done.

Equilibrar as necessidades de funcionários introvertidos e extrovertidos em um escritório aberto não é uma tarefa simples, mas é essencial para criar um ambiente de trabalho harmonioso e produtivo. Ao adotar abordagens flexíveis e inclusivas, as empresas podem garantir que todos os funcionários, independentemente de seu perfil, possam prosperar e contribuir com o máximo de seu potencial. O resultado é uma equipe mais feliz, mais engajada e, consequentemente, mais bem-sucedida.