Why A Quiet Office Space Is A Must For Social Workers In Private Practice

While interacting with people is a big part of a social worker’s job they still need some form of quiet space to complete their paperwork and make phone calls. The area needs to be one where they can focus without any sort of distractions.

Something that social workers tell us is that they need their own space where they cannot be distracted. This is to allow them to be able to get all their important paperwork done such as documents that need to be sent to the state government or insurance company. Believe it or not, but paperwork takes up a significant portion of a social worker’s workload. So when renting an office space, it is important to have a space that they can be left alone to do paperwork and be able to focus on their clients. Keep in mind, most social workers complete paperwork that is very important to peoples lives. So if they make a mistake, they could be facing a delay in services or support for the people they are working with. So a social worker needs to be able to concentrate and focus on what they are doing some say more than other professions. And the biggest distraction of all as reported by some is office noise.

Whenever we talk to social workers, it’s apparent that they need to focus on providing assistance and services to the people that they work with. The fact that clients build their assumptions about you based in-part on the office they meet you in is a sentiment we hear repeated over and over. And to accommodate this fact, they need an office that is warm and inviting. Why does it matter? Well, meeting clients who have been abused or have other mental and family issues, it’s extra important that the space they are meeting in is comforting and should be a place where people can feel safe. However, it’s important to remember that every office does not project the same type of feeling. When businesses like financial consultants or insurance companies are looking for a space, they may be looking for the standard office. They may expect a few offices and a table that is set up like a conference room. This setup is not ideal for social workers. Rather, their office needs to be inviting, even if it goes against what other businesses may be looking for.

If the office is noisy, this can cause colossal productivity problems.  Even a small amount of noise can be disturbing. Auditory distractions can have a negative impact on anyone's productivity and quality work. Things like coworkers on the phone and even notifications from a cell phone can take attention away from the task at hand. So if a social worker is sharing an office, they each need to have their own separate working space. This way they do not distract each other with phone calls and noise. This may sound like a common-sense no-brainer piece of advice. However, we have heard lots of horror stories from social workers who have had to share workspace in an “open office” setup.

Studies have been conducted on focus, and it was found that the average worker has a concentration of 11 minutes due to interruptions. So if there is noise that is distracting, any focused work like paperwork can take even longer to complete. And social workers, some say more than most, need to make sure all of their documentation is accurate. And if they keep on getting distracted with distractions, it can have an impact on their client's lives and quality of work.

When a social worker is looking for a space to get some work done, it’s vitally important to have somewhere where they feel comfortable. This is in large part due to the mentally demanding type of work that they do. They need to have an office that is free of distractions so they can work in peace and focus on what their real goal is, helping people.  b.mindful Louisville is specifically designed and set up for health and wellness businesses. Call or text us at 502-528-1363 for a tour of our space, or Click Here to schedule a walk-through.

Shannon Gonter, LPCC, Owner and Founder of b.mindful Louisville

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