Introduction
Hybrid working changed what an office is for. People come in to be together, then spend half the day hunting for somewhere to be alone. Video calls need a door. Concentration needs quiet. Open plan offers neither.
Office work pods are the fix most workplaces land on, because they solve it in days rather than months. A pod is a self-contained acoustic room — built, ventilated, lit and powered from a single socket, delivered and installed without touching the fabric of the building. No planning permission, no landlord conversation, no dust sheets.
Furnify has supplied office furniture since 2016 and completed more than 500 installations across the UK. We supply, install and service every pod on this list ourselves, so this shortlist is built on what holds up in daily use rather than what photographs well.
Below, we compare five office work pods on four criteria: certified acoustic performance, ventilation, lighting quality on camera, and footprint against real floor plates. Each entry gives you the specs, the honest pros and cons, and the office it actually suits. If you’re at the start of the process, our complete office pod buyer’s guide covers sizing, compliance and budgeting first.
How we selected these five pods
We ranked on four things, in this order:
- Certified acoustic performance — a published ISO 23351-1:2020 class, not a marketing adjective
- Ventilation and air change rate — the single biggest reason a pod goes unused
- Lighting quality on camera — dedicated face lighting, not just a ceiling downlight
- Footprint against real floor plates — what fits without losing a bank of desks
Every pod listed is one we hold on the Furnify range, install with our own engineers, and service after handover.
1. Framery One — the benchmark one-person work pod
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Price
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£8,138 ex VAT (£9,765 inc VAT) |
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Acoustic rating
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Class A — 30 dB speech level reduction (ISO 23351-1) |
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Capacity
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1 person |
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Dimensions
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1220mm W × 1000mm D × 2255mm H |
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Installation
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4–6 week lead time |
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Warranty
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5 Years |
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Best for
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Offices standardising on one pod across multiple floors |
If you only look at one pod, look at this one. The Framery One is the pod most others get measured against, and it earns that with a patent-pending acoustic structure tuned specifically to speech frequencies — the range that actually leaks out of a booth and distracts the desks nearby. Inside, it’s an unusually complete piece of kit: a 5" touchscreen runs the pod, ventilation adapts to occupancy via an ultrasonic sensor, and a built-in 4G module reports usage data back through Framery Connect™ without touching your network. For a facilities team trying to prove the spend was worth it, that usage data is the argument.
Pros
- Class A acoustics at 30 dB speech level reduction — a normal speaking voice is unintelligible outside
- Full air change roughly every minute, adaptive to occupancy rather than running constantly
- Two lighting presets, including a dimmable 90 CRI video panel for calls
- Built-in 4G means occupancy and usage reporting without an IT project
- Calendar integration with Google and Microsoft, so it books like any other room
Cons
- Needs 2400mm assembly clearance, not the 2255mm finished height — rules it out under some suspended ceilings
- One power socket and a single 15W USB-C is thin if someone wants to run a laptop and charge a phone
- Castor kit is an extra, and worth having if the floor plan is likely to change
Best for: a growing company rolling out pods across more than one floor, where consistent spec and usage data matter more than saving £1,000 a unit.
2. HushFree.S Hybrid — the best small-footprint work pod
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Price
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£6,890 ex VAT (£8,268 inc VAT) |
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Acoustic rating
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Class A — 30.2 dB speech level reduction (ISO 23351-1:2020) |
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Capacity
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1 person |
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Dimensions
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1244mm W × 900mm D × 2300mm H |
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Installation
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4–6 week lead time |
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Warranty
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[CONFIRM — not published on product page] |
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Best for
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Offices tight on floor area that still need certified Class A privacy |
At 1244 × 900mm, the HushFree.S Hybrid takes up roughly the space of a filing cabinet and a chair, yet still delivers a measured 30.2 dB speech-level reduction. That combination is why it’s the pod we specify most often for offices genuinely short of floor area. It’s built around the hybrid working day rather than the phone call: a height-adjustable tabletop and an upholstered seat let you perch for a ten-minute stand-up or sit properly for an hour of focused work. Dedicated LED side lighting handles faces on camera, and twin motion-activated fans exchange the air in well under a minute.
Pros
- Best acoustic performance per square metre on this list — Class A in 1.1m² of floor
- Genuinely mobile: integrated carpeted floor sits on wheels, so it repositions without a rebuild
- Wired RJ45 option for teams who won’t take client calls over Wi-Fi
- Certified Autism Resource (CAR) certification, useful if pods form part of a neuroinclusion commitment
- Fire alarm audibility engineered in, which removes a common compliance objection.
Cons
- A perch-and-work pod, not a desk — there’s no room to spread out paperwork or run dual monitors
- 900mm depth feels tight to some users; worth a physical viewing before committing to a large order
Best for: a busy London floor plate where every square metre is spoken for, and the pod has to slot into a corridor end or a corner rather than take a desk bank out.
3. C42 Video Conference Pod — the best work pod for two people on camera
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Price
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£8,902 ex VAT (£10,682.40 inc VAT) |
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Acoustic rating
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Class A — ≥30 dB speech level reduction (ISO 23351-1) |
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Capacity
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2 people, side by side |
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Dimensions
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1440mm W × 1400mm D × 2310mm H |
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Installation
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4–6 week lead time |
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Warranty
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5 years, backed by 10-year component continuity |
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Best for
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Recruitment, client-facing and pair-working teams |
Most one-person booths fall apart the moment a second person joins the call — someone ends up out of frame, half-lit and leaning in. The C42 is built for exactly that scenario: two people side by side, both properly framed and both properly lit. The details give away what it’s designed for. The desk is depth-adjustable so you set the camera distance rather than accept it. Lighting is specified at broadcast level with separate ambient and face sources. And there’s an optional media wall if the pod doubles as a screen-share space for client work or interviews.
Pros
- The only pod here that seats two people on camera properly, rather than tolerating a second occupant
- Twin-fan ventilation sized for two, so it doesn’t get stuffy the way a solo pod does with two in it
- Depth-adjustable desk gives you control over camera framing — a small feature that changes how calls look
- 10-year component continuity commitment alongside the 5-year warranty
- Runs at 45W total, low enough that it makes no meaningful difference to running costs
Cons
- At 1440 × 1400mm it’s a genuine 2m² of floor — closer to a small meeting pod than a booth
- The media wall is an option, not standard, and it’s the feature most buyers actually want
- Overspecified if the main use case is one person taking calls
Best for: a recruitment or sales team running two-person interview panels and joint client calls, where looking professional on camera is part of the product.
4. HushFree Work Pod — the best office pod for a full working day
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Price
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£10,997 ex VAT (£13,196.40 inc VAT) |
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Acoustic rating
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Class B (ISO 23351-1:2020) |
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Capacity
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1 person |
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Dimensions
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1854mm W × 1199mm D × 2281mm H (approx. 2.2m²) |
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Installation
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4–6 week lead time |
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Warranty
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5 Years |
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Best for
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People who need an office, not a booth |
This is the one for people who don’t want a booth — they want an office. At 1854mm wide, the HushFree Work Pod fits a full electric sit-stand desk with a 1050 × 640mm worktop, dual monitors, a proper ergonomic chair and a coat hook, in around 2.2m² of floor. It’s also the most considered pod here on accessibility: wheelchair accessible, takes a standard office chair up to 83cm in diameter, and holds IBCCES Certified Autism Resource status. The Hushassistant touchscreen integrates with Microsoft Outlook, so it can be booked like any other room.
Pros
- The only pod here you’d happily work in from nine until five
- Electric sit-stand desk with a 620–1270mm range and a full 1050 × 640mm worktop
- Lighting adjustable from 2200K to 6500K — a real ergonomic benefit over an eight-hour day
- 240 m³/h motion-activated air exchange, the highest stated figure on this list
- Wheelchair accessible and CAR certified, which matters if pods form part of an inclusion commitment
- Four integrated sockets, enough for a laptop, two monitors and a phone
Cons
- Class B rather than Class A — comfortably private for everyday calls, but not the pick for genuinely confidential conversations
- The most expensive pod here by some margin at £10,997 ex VAT
- 1854mm wide, so it will cost you a desk position on most floor plates
Best for: a company giving a small number of people a permanent quiet office — an HR lead, a finance manager, someone who takes calls all day — rather than providing shared drop-in booths.
5. HideAway Work — the best-looking pod for design-led spaces
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Price
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On request — [PRICE TO CONFIRM] |
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Acoustic rating
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Absorptive acoustic panelling — no published ISO 23351-1 class |
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Capacity
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1 person |
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Dimensions
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1588mm W × 960mm D × 2215mm H |
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Installation
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Made to order — lead time varies by specification |
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Warranty
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5 years |
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Best for
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Reception areas, studios and client-facing floors |
Not every pod has to look like equipment. The HideAway range is what clients pick when the pod sits in a reception, a studio or a client-facing floor and has to earn its place visually as well as acoustically. Construction is upholstered acoustic panelling with a 10.8mm laminated glass door, finished in Camira Blazer fabrics, so it can be specified into an existing scheme rather than fighting it. Motion sensors handle lighting and air circulation, there’s twin power plus twin USB A and C, and the whole thing is freestanding — the plinth is removable so the pod repositions without a rebuild.
Pros
- The best-finished pod on this list, and the only one specified in a fabric range that can match existing seating
- 5-year warranty as standard
- Twin power outlets plus twin USB A and C — more charging than most booths offer
- Genuinely mobile thanks to the removable plinth
- Made to order, so finishes can follow an existing interior scheme
Cons
- No published ISO 23351-1 class — the panelling absorbs ambient noise and reduces reverberation rather than delivering a certified sealed-booth figure
- Made-to-order lead times are less predictable than the 4–6 weeks on the pods above
- A laptop shelf rather than a full desk, so it suits calls and short focus sessions
Best for: a design-led studio, agency or showroom where the pod is visible to visitors and the interior scheme is part of the brand.
Office work pods compared
| Pod | Price (ex VAT) | Acoustic class | Footprint (W × D) | Capacity | Best for |
| Framery One | £8,138 | Class A — 30 dB | 1220 × 1000mm | 1 | Standardising across floors |
| HushFree.S Hybrid | £6,890 | Class A — 30.2 dB | 1244 × 900mm | 1 | Tight floor plates |
| C42 Video Conference Pod | £8,902 | Class A — ≥30 dB | 1440 × 1400mm | 2 | Two people on camera |
| HushFree Work Pod | £10,997 | Class B | 1854 × 1199mm | 1 | A full working day |
| HideAway Work | On request | Absorptive, no ISO class | 1588 × 960mm | 1 | Design-led spaces |
Acoustic performance explained: what a good rating actually means
More money is wasted on this one specification than any other in the pod market, because the word buyers look for — “soundproof” — has no technical meaning at all. Here’s what to look for instead.
ISO 23351-1:2020 is the only rating that counts
ISO 23351-1:2020 is the international standard developed specifically to measure the speech privacy performance of room-in-room acoustic solutions. It grades pods from Class A to Class D based on how intelligible a conversation inside is to somebody standing outside:
| Class | What it means in practice | Typical use |
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Class A
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Conversation inside the pod is not intelligible outside | Confidential work — HR, legal, clinical, board matters |
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Class B
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Conversation is largely unintelligible outside in normal office ambient conditions | Most business use — meetings, video calls, focused work |
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Class C
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Occupants should assume their conversation may be partially audible outside | Non-sensitive discussion, focus work |
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Class D
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Limited privacy — mainly visual separation | Screening rather than acoustic benefit |
Three of the five pods above are Class A. The HushFree Work Pod is Class B, which is comfortably private for everyday calls. The HideAway range uses absorptive acoustic panelling and doesn’t publish an ISO class, which is fine for a reception focus pod and wrong for an HR interview.
Decibels are logarithmic, and that changes everything
The reason a 30 dB pod is so much better than a 20 dB pod isn’t that it’s 50% better. Perceived loudness works on a logarithmic scale:
- 3 dB reduction — halves the acoustic energy, but is barely perceptible to the human ear
- 10 dB reduction — perceived as roughly half as loud
- 20 dB reduction — perceived as roughly a quarter as loud
- 30 dB reduction — perceived as roughly one eighth as loud
This is why the difference between a budget booth quoting 22 dB and a Class A pod at 30 dB is far bigger in practice than the numbers suggest.
Be sceptical of single-figure lab claims
A 35 dB reduction measured at a single mid-frequency in a laboratory anechoic chamber tells you very little about real-world speech privacy. Human speech is broadband, and pods leak at the frequencies where speech carries most of its intelligibility, which is precisely why Framery’s structure is tuned to speech frequencies rather than to a headline number.
Ambient noise in the room matters too. A Class B pod in a busy open-plan office can deliver better effective privacy than a Class A pod in a silent library floor, because the surrounding noise masks whatever does escape. Our complete guide to office pod acoustics works through this in detail, including how to read a manufacturer’s test report.
The practical rule: specify Class A where conversations are confidential or the pod sits against a quiet zone. Class B is sufficient everywhere else.
Work pods vs building a fixed room: the cost comparison
The alternative to a pod is a stud wall, and for most UK offices the numbers now favour the pod — not marginally, but decisively.
On day one, modular pods come out around 37% cheaper than traditional construction in London. That gap varies significantly by city: Zurich is up to 63% cheaper, Frankfurt around 25%, while in Lisbon, Madrid and Amsterdam traditional construction is actually more than 20% cheaper than pods. London sits firmly in pod territory.
Over three years, once you factor in a typical 25% reconfiguration — the churn every growing company goes through — modular pods work out around 79% cheaper in London.
Over a full lease term, the gap becomes structural rather than marginal. Across 27 cities, the seven-year savings average more than 90%. At ten years, London reinstatement costs are around 352% cheaper with modular pods than with traditional demolition, because a pod is furniture you take with you rather than a wall you pay to remove.
On time, modular installs run two to three times faster on average than traditional construction. In practice, that’s a 4–6 week lead time and an install measured in hours, against a fit-out programme measured in months, with the floor out of use throughout.
There are three second-order advantages that rarely make it into the business case:
- No dilapidations exposure. A pod leaves with you. A stud wall has to come out at leas end, at your cost.
- It’s an asset, not a liability. Pods hold resale value, and there’s an established second-hand market — we sell used office pods ourselves.
- No planning permission or building regulations approval. Freestanding furniture doesn’t trigger either, though it’s worth checking your lease for an alterations clause.
We’ve broken this down further in Is it cheaper to buy modular office pods than to build meeting rooms?
Which work pod suits which office
The startup on a short lease. Buy the HushFree.S Hybrid. Class A performance, the smallest footprint here, and it wheels out of the building when you outgrow the space. Two pods for 30 people is a realistic starting ratio.
The scaling company across multiple floors. Standardise on the Framery One. Consistent spec, calendar integration so people can book pods like rooms, and usage data that tells you whether to buy a third one or a sixth.
The recruitment, agency or sales business. Lead with the C42. Two-person calls are your core use case, and a client on the other end of a well-lit, well-framed video call notices — even if they couldn’t tell you why.
The professional services firm handling confidential matters. Class A only, and site them away from quiet zones. Framery One or HushFree.S Hybrid; not the Class B HushFree Work Pod, whatever else recommends it.
The design-led studio or showroom. HideAway Work, provided the conversations inside aren’t confidential. If they are, put a Class A pod in the back office and the HideAway front of house.
The company giving individuals a permanent quiet office. HushFree Work Pod. It costs more, but it’s the only pod here that replaces a desk rather than supplementing one.
How many office pods does an office need?
There’s no universal ratio, and any supplier who gives you one without seeing your floor plan is guessing. What we’d suggest instead:
Count simultaneous calls, not headcount. Walk the floor at 11am on a Tuesday and count how many people are on video calls at once. That number, plus a margin, is your pod count. Sizing against total headcount routinely over-buys.
Watch where people go now. Stairwells, empty meeting rooms, the car park. Those are your existing informal pods, and where people go tells you where the new ones should sit.
Site them on the noisy side. Pods work hardest between a loud zone and a quiet one.
Putting them in the quietest corner of the floor is the most common siting mistake we see.
Plan the power before you plan the position. Every pod here runs from a standard socket, but it needs to be within reach of where the pod actually lands, not where the floor box happens to be.
You’ll also need to check ceiling height (allow assembly clearance above the finished pod height), floor loading, and the delivery route width for the panels. We survey all three before quoting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an office work pod cost?
One-person office work pods typically run from around £4,200 to £11,000 ex VAT, with the pods in this guide sitting between £6,890 and £10,997. Price is driven by acoustic class, whether there’s a sit-stand desk, the quality of ventilation and lighting, and the finish specification. Two-person video conference pods start around £8,900. Delivery and installation are usually quoted separately.
One-person office work pods typically run from around £4,200 to £11,000 ex VAT, with the pods in this guide sitting between £6,890 and £10,997. Price is driven by acoustic class, whether there’s a sit-stand desk, the quality of ventilation and lighting, and the finish specification. Two-person video conference pods start around £8,900. Delivery and installation are usually quoted separately.
Are office work pods actually soundproof?
No pod is completely soundproof, and any supplier claiming otherwise is overselling. What matters is speech level reduction measured under ISO 23351-1:2020. A Class A pod reduces speech by around 30 dB, meaning someone standing outside can hear that you’re talking but can’t make out the words.
No pod is completely soundproof, and any supplier claiming otherwise is overselling. What matters is speech level reduction measured under ISO 23351-1:2020. A Class A pod reduces speech by around 30 dB, meaning someone standing outside can hear that you’re talking but can’t make out the words.
What acoustic rating do I need for an open-plan office?
Class B is sufficient for most business use — meetings, video calls and focused work in a normal office with some ambient noise. Specify Class A where conversations are genuinely confidential, such as HR, legal or clinical work, or where the pod sits against a designated quiet zone with little masking noise.
Class B is sufficient for most business use — meetings, video calls and focused work in a normal office with some ambient noise. Specify Class A where conversations are genuinely confidential, such as HR, legal or clinical work, or where the pod sits against a designated quiet zone with little masking noise.
Do office pods need planning permission?
No. Freestanding pods are furniture rather than building work, so they don’t require planning permission or building regulations approval. Check your lease for an alterations clause, though in practice pods rarely trigger one because nothing is fixed to the building.
No. Freestanding pods are furniture rather than building work, so they don’t require planning permission or building regulations approval. Check your lease for an alterations clause, though in practice pods rarely trigger one because nothing is fixed to the building.
How long does installation take?
Lead time from order is typically four to six weeks for the pods in this guide. The install itself is measured in hours rather than days for one and two-person pods, and doesn’t require the floor to be closed off. Made-to-order pods like the HideAway range vary by specification.
Can office work pods be moved or reconfigured later?
Yes. Every pod here is demountable. Several offer castors or a removable plinth for repositioning within a floor — the HushFree.S Hybrid sits on wheels, and the HideAway plinth lifts out. Moving between buildings is a dismantle-and-rebuild job rather than a lift-and-shift, but it’s routine work.
Yes. Every pod here is demountable. Several offer castors or a removable plinth for repositioning within a floor — the HushFree.S Hybrid sits on wheels, and the HideAway plinth lifts out. Moving between buildings is a dismantle-and-rebuild job rather than a lift-and-shift, but it’s routine work.
What warranty do office pods come with?
Five years is the market standard, and the C42 and HideAway ranges both carry it. The C42 adds a 10-year component-continuity commitment, which matters more than it sounds — pods are a 10-year asset, and the usual failure mode is a fan or a light you can no longer source. Always ask what the warranty actually covers: acoustic panels, electrical components and ventilation are sometimes warranted separately.
Five years is the market standard, and the C42 and HideAway ranges both carry it. The C42 adds a 10-year component-continuity commitment, which matters more than it sounds — pods are a 10-year asset, and the usual failure mode is a fan or a light you can no longer source. Always ask what the warranty actually covers: acoustic panels, electrical components and ventilation are sometimes warranted separately.
What’s the difference between a phone booth and a work pod?
A phone booth is sized for a standing or perching call of a few minutes. A work pod adds a proper desk or sit-stand surface, better lighting and stronger ventilation so it can be occupied for hours. If people will be inside for more than about 20 minutes at a time, buy a work pod.
A phone booth is sized for a standing or perching call of a few minutes. A work pod adds a proper desk or sit-stand surface, better lighting and stronger ventilation so it can be occupied for hours. If people will be inside for more than about 20 minutes at a time, buy a work pod.
Do office pods need ventilation ducting?
No. Every pod here has self-contained ventilation running from its own power supply, typically motion-activated so it runs only when occupied. Air change rates vary — look for a full air exchange in around a minute, which is what separates a pod people use from one they abandon after ten minutes.
No. Every pod here has self-contained ventilation running from its own power supply, typically motion-activated so it runs only when occupied. Air change rates vary — look for a full air exchange in around a minute, which is what separates a pod people use from one they abandon after ten minutes.