How Your Office Layout Could Be Destroying Employee Trust

Take a stroll through a contemporary office. Before a word is spoken, you recognize something about the culture of the company. The layout of the office speaks for itself. Are the walls high or low? Is leadership visible from your desk? Is there a place to escape for focused work, or are you always “on stage”?

The design of a workspace has meaning far beyond the visual appeal. Today’s workspaces psychologically influence the employees’ feelings, how they communicate and the level of trust. In the new era of open-plan offices, a crucial question comes up: Does the openness actually build trust, or does it “quietly” take away the psychological sense of safety a person needs to be productive?

Related: Do You Trust Your Employees? Your Office Might Be Telling Them Otherwise.

The psychology of openness

There is a reason why the phrase “open door policy” is often associated with approachable leadership. It is a psychological sign of accessibility, equality and collaboration. When applied to physical space, these same principles come into play.

Open workspaces utilize “social facilitation” as a tool to promote productivity. The phenomenon states that an employee’s work productivity increases in the presence of their peers. Seeing a co-worker actively working can promote a sense of accountability and perceived fairness. When everyone from interns to executives shares similar workspace conditions, hierarchical barriers dissolve.

Still, the same visibility that encourages accountability can also increase self-consciousness. Research shows that physical openness encourages spontaneous communication but reduces privacy and autonomy. That colleague who can see your screen might spark collaboration — or make you hyperaware of every moment you are not appearing “productive.”

Trust and transparency: Finding the balance

Organizational transparency builds trust, but only when leaders speak about the company’s performance and decision-making. However, physical and cultural transparency should be aligned. When transparency turns to surveillance, the trust intended is broken.

Companies like Airbnb and Salesforce have found the sweet spot, where open collaborative zones also have soundproof phone booths and quiet rooms. These organizations know that transparency is not about removing boundaries. It is about making them flexible and intentional.

Authentic, unforced choice is what builds trust. When employees are free to choose how and where to work, they feel trusted, and they reciprocate that trust.

Related: Forget the ‘Open Workspace.’ Say Hello to the ‘Balanced Workspace.’

Workspace setup: Open office vs. cubicle design

Which is better, open offices or cubicles? This is a question designers, employees and everyone in between tries to answer. Each office design has different impacts on the psychology of employees, trust and collaboration in the workplace.

The open office promise and pitfall:

Open offices promise collaboration and innovation, as the design encourages spontaneous brainstorming and so-called “water cooler” conversations. Unfortunately, many employees feel exposed, distracted and burnt out. The lack of acoustical and visual barriers makes it difficult to achieve any sort of deep and focused work. In fact, many studies indicate that open offices reduce face-to-face interaction. Employees end up emailing each other instead of having a direct conversation.

The case for cubicles and hybrid layouts:

Enter cubicle or hybrid layouts — once maligned, now being reconsidered. Cubicles provide a sense of control and personalization, and they create a buffer against constant stimulation. Hybrid designs offer open environments within a framework of semi-private stations, which allow for some collaboration while maintaining focus.

Employees take their cues from the environment. An open office might communicate trust and freedom, or it might feel like surveillance. Cubicles can provide privacy or create a feeling of a prison with a rigid hierarchy. Designing for trust involves providing options rather than mandates.

Office-related injuries and mental safety

Trust isn’t just about relationships; it’s also connected to the design of a workspace and whether it protects or threatens an employee’s well-being.

The hidden cost of poor design:

Ill-designed spaces or furniture lead to chronic office-related injuries. Improperly adjusted chairs contribute to chronic back pain, and inadequate lighting causes headaches and visual strain. Poorly designed work stations promote repetitive motion that leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. These preventable health issues accumulate over time.

The trust connection:

When managers buy ergonomic chairs and desks and install proper office lighting, staff perceive the difference. Making such purchases communicates, “We care about our employees’ wellbeing.” This goodwill builds confidence more than a mission statement ever could.

Comfort promotes psychological safety. Improved workspace design allows people to work without the distractions of discomfort.

Designing for trust: Practical takeaways

Planning an office redesign? Here are some suggestions:

Embrace zoning: Collaborating, concentrating and private conversations should be mapped to employee needs, not just management.

Use transparency carefully: Glass walls can create openness as well as acoustic privacy.

Bring nature inside: Biophilic elements, such as plants and views of nature, improve mental health and well-being.

Prioritize ergonomics: Adjusting furniture and proper workspace setup training are small investments with huge returns in trust and productivity.

Communication openness: Trust will not be built by the physical layout alone if leaders work in isolation. Open spaces should correspond with open decision-making.

Related: The Surprising Ways Your Office Design Shows You Trust Your Employees

Space as a reflection of culture

Here’s the truth most leaders miss: Your office layout is telling employees a story about trust every single day. The question is whether you’re telling the story you think you are.

An open layout office with no private spaces communicates, “We’re watching you.” Cubicles with no collaboration spaces imply, “Stay in your lane.” A well-designed office that offers spaces for collaboration and retreat will signal that an organization trusts its employees.

The future of work isn’t about choosing sides in the open-office debate. It’s about creating environments where trust becomes the default — where employees feel psychologically safe, physically comfortable and genuinely valued. When your workspace reflects these priorities, trust stops being mandated through policies. It becomes the natural byproduct of design built with human needs at its core.

The organizations winning the talent war are not just offering better perks; they are offering work environments where trust is clearly visible.

Take a stroll through a contemporary office. Before a word is spoken, you recognize something about the culture of the company. The layout of the office speaks for itself. Are the walls high or low? Is leadership visible from your desk? Is there a place to escape for focused work, or are you always “on stage”?

The design of a workspace has meaning far beyond the visual appeal. Today’s workspaces psychologically influence the employees’ feelings, how they communicate and the level of trust. In the new era of open-plan offices, a crucial question comes up: Does the openness actually build trust, or does it “quietly” take away the psychological sense of safety a person needs to be productive?