The modern workplace is an intentional one, one that is agile and dynamic. To support purpose-based working, we must command a deep understanding of how the humans work, focus.

Focus work is exactly what it sounds like, a task that requires an individual’s attention to make progress or complete. Types of focus work can vary greatly and sometimes the task as hand may require different levels of focus. From email correspondence to tasks involving reading and writing, studying and research to finances and programming, focus work can take many forms. Even creative work, like marketing or design, which thrives on collaboration, often requires periods of focus work to create, edit, build or design.

For many decades, focus work, sometimes referred to as individual work, was done at assigned workstations and in private offices. As open offices rose in popularity, focus work was commonly expected to be completed in areas with minimal physical separations.

Collaboration spaces were often in enclosed or isolated parts of the floor plane. Yet, in the post-pandemic working world, the strategy will start to flip. Meetings and collaboration will take place throughout the floorplate, often in open spaces and focus work will be designated for small nooks, enclaves, pods or reservable rooms.

For companies embracing hybrid working, there may be less of the floorplate dedicated to focus work as many employees find they can work this way remotely. That said, assuming that focus work is always better from home is a mistake. Each of us has different situations at home, with different accommodations, distractions and setups. We can try to influence these environments through work from home programs and home office initiatives, but we’ll never achieve the same level of influence in our employee’s homes as we can in the workplace. Offering areas that support focus working at the office will afford the choice that so many people are asking for, that will allow them to thrive in their roles.

According to research done at the University of California, it takes and average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus once we’ve been distracted. Without focus spaces, we’re spending a huge amount of time just getting back on track!

Another study called the Udemy Workplace Distraction Report, found that the majority of workers cited noise as a top distraction and many thought that designating spaces for quiet work was the best solution.

So, what can we do to create better focus spaces in the workplace? Start by identifying and committing specific areas of your floorplan to be purposed as focus spaces. Consider audio and visual privacy using panels, dividers, screens or walls. White noise, quiet policies and adequate density (which is the amount of space each employee gets) will also help team members focus effectively.