Activity-based working is a powerful concept, but it is not without its challenges. Understandably, employees worry about things like noise, hygiene and the availability of sufficient numbers of workspaces. To make ABW a success, and to convince sceptical employees, such issues should not be glossed over, but explicitly addressed. Below is a list of the ten biggest issues with recommendations for how to deal with them. Noise and distractionsAs explained in the research section, one of the biggest issues of the ABW office is that people experience distractions and a lack of privacy, which impairs their ability to concentrate. This need not be the case. The central idea of ABW is to provide options for both communication and concentration. Provide plentiful focus rooms and/or quiet areas so that people can escape the buzz;Provide lots of meeting areas so that conversations do not have to take place in open work areas;The use of acoustic panels will help to Divide the office floor into zones with different levels ofsoundproof the office. Acoustic panels are made liveliness (e.g. a hot zone for lively activities and coldof sound-deadening materials that allow people to have a conversation in an open work area zone for quiet ones, see page 69); without immediately disturbing their co-workers. Make sure that spaces have excellent acoustics (plenty of(photo: Anna Autio)sound absorption; sound blocking where needed);Formulate rules for how spaces should be used (e.g. no video meetings or loud ringtones in open work areas);Limit visual noise (i.e. blocking distractions in peoples peripheral vision by placing screens between workstations, applying privacy film to glass partitions and locating workstations away from busy circulation areas).Feeling lost or disconnectedWithout a personal workstation, some people may feel uprooted, lost or disconnected from their teams. A mix of spatial, technical and organizational strategies can be used to mitigate those feelings and to strengthen the social ties within teams. Establish team zones or anchor points as a first port of call for team members (see page 68);Create identity spaces where teams and individuals can place and display their trophies and other kinds of memorabilia (e.g. snapshots of all team members, branding materials, etc.); 33