The sign of a brilliantly set-up office is when you barely notice the office partitions being used to divide up the space, offer privacy and quiet, provide adequate meeting places or protect employees from the spread of sickness. Even if you don’t immediately notice them, office partitions are an essential tool for adding the finishing touches to your office space, particularly if that workplace is open plan in design. But which office screens do you need for your business? Read on for our complete guide to office partitions.
Social Distancing Screens
‘Social distancing’ was a phrase none of us had ever heard before the Coronavirus pandemic swept through and changed all of our lives in some way or another. Now, having a workplace that is safe and socially distanced is mandatory by UK Government and WHO regulations. In an ideal world, this would mean keeping employees 2m apart from one another (amongst other suggestions such as improved ventilation, staggered working hours, extra sanitising stations etc.) but in most work environments this distance is simply not possible to achieve.
This is where social distancing screens make all the difference. Manufactured from Perspex® acrylic, glass or PVC, these partitions have been designed specifically to form a barrier between employees (or between staff and customers in customer-facing workplaces). These panels prevent respiratory droplets (the most common form of COVID-19 transmission) from passing between people, and the materials used can be easily wiped down and regularly sanitised to remove any traces of the virus, for a healthy and hygienic working environment*.
Social distancing partitions are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes to suit a variety of different requirements. From freestanding or mobile screens to medical dividers, roller screens to retail panels, our collection has something to suit every need. We even have social distancing screens available on fast dispatch for urgent requirements.
Standard Fabric Office Partitions
Our most cost-effective office furniture is our range of standard fabric partitions. These freestanding screens are 25mm thick and covered in a durable, woven fabric which is available in a variety of colours to match your office decor or branding. Simple and lightweight, these screens come in different widths and heights to best suit your needs, but if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, our expert team at our UK manufacturing site can look into made-to-order dimensions for you.
Many of our standard fabric partitions are straight in shape, but we also sell wave-shaped dividers if you prefer something with a more organic design. All of these screens can be made mobile with the addition of a set of lockable castor wheels. On top of our fabric ranges, we also sell a range of printed office partitions that can be personalised with your business branding, or other marketing designs.
Acoustic Office Screens
Investing in a range of acoustic dividers is a good idea if your workplace is particularly noisy or chaotic, for example, a call centre or sales department. Noise can be distracting, reducing concentration and creating a stressful working environment, so installing acoustic panels can make a difference to your workforce’s productivity.
Our acoustic screens are available in standard and premium ranges. Our standard acoustic screens are 35mm thick and finished with a layer of foam-backed fabric, offering an estimated NRC (noise reduction coefficient) of 0.22.
Our premium acoustic panels are even more efficient at absorbing sound. These 80mm-thick partitions have a carcass construction with a small centre void, making it even harder for sound to travel through them. Finished with a layer of absorbing foam-backed fabric, our premium acoustic screens offer a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of 0.70, and an absorption coefficient (AC) of 0.85 at an average frequency of 900-3000hz. This makes them one of the most effective noise-absorbing screens available.
Our acoustic screen range includes straight and wave-shaped partitions, desk divider screens and curved panels to offer different solutions to suit all requirements.
Desk Divider Screens
Some of our most popular office screens are desk divider partitions. Particularly with regards to social distancing, as we’ve discussed, desk divider screens can form a transparent (and easily sanitisable) barrier between employees working at large desk banks.
Traditional fabric desk divider panels offer a simple and cost-effective way to give your employees a little privacy even on large desk banks. These fabric-covered partitions can be used with pins, staples or velcro to display plans, important office information or personal items.
For busy, noisy offices, investing in a range of acoustic desk divider screens can make a huge difference to the productivity of your workforce. These thicker panels covered with a layer of foam-backed fabric help to absorb rather than reflect noise, for a quieter working environment.
Room Divider Screens
While many of our office partitions are designed to segment up smaller spaces, we also sell a range of concertina room divider screens which are a great way to divide up large rooms in a coordinated fashion. These screens link together and have lockable castor wheels at their base, meaning they are easy to roll out to where you need them, but they can also be folded up into a smaller unit and easily stored away at the side of a room when they aren’t required. Our concertina screens offer a flexible solution for making the most of your space.
Meeting Pods
Often when renting modern office space, these locations come without individual offices or meeting rooms. There is a lot to be said for a blank canvas, but the expense of constructing permanent meeting rooms, break areas or private offices can be daunting.
A cost-effective and flexible solution is to invest in one of our meeting pods. Available in both standard fabric and acoustic options, these kits include a number of curved screens that link together to form a semi-private meeting space, enough for a table and chairs (space inside depends on the number of screens in your kit; we have a range of options available). These ‘pods’ can be easily set up anywhere in your office to offer semi-private working spaces, break areas or meeting rooms, and can be deconstructed and stored away when required.
Our most comprehensive meeting room solution is our range of glass office pods. These mini rooms can be constructed by our team of experts in just 4 hours, and offer a floor-to-ceiling bespoke room with lighting included. You can also introduce a power and data post and ventilation to your office pod for a comfortable and practical space. These kits are constructed of a mixture of glass and acoustic panels, with a glass sliding door and a metal framework.
With all the different office partitions out there, choosing the right options for your business can seem daunting. Hopefully, our complete guide to office partitions has given you some inspiration on how you can set up your office to offer a healthy and happy working environment.
For more information about any of our office partitions or how you can use them to improve your workplace acoustics or set up social distancing measures, you can get in touch with our team on 01733 511030 or via our Contact Us page.
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