The open floor plan has become a minefield of distractions for office workers — the incessant ringing of phones, the chatter of co-workers, typing on keyboards — all of which threaten to undermine a productive workday.

Enter the office pod.

These sleek, self-contained booths are increasingly being sought by employers and have been embraced by workers. They provide a quiet space for employees to conduct important phone calls, focus on their work or take a quick break.

"We are seeing a large trend, a shift to having independent, self-contained enclosures," said Caitlin Turner, a designer at the global design and urban planning firm HoK. She said the growing demand for pods is a direct result of employees expressing their need for privacy.

While Frank Lloyd Wright introduced the open floor plan in the early 20th century, its popularity has skyrocketed in the last two decades, as companies look to promote collaboration, lower costs and create a more egalitarian environment. In 2014, 70% of companies had an open floor plan, according to the International Facility Management Association.

But rather than fostering a more united workforce, research shows that open floor spaces can actually cause social withdrawal, defeating the intended purpose. In a 2018 study, Harvard Business School researchers studied two Fortune 500 companies before and after a transition to the open floor plan.

They discovered that face-to-face time decreased by 70%, while the number of email interactions jumped by a range of 22%-50% of all interactions. Researchers said their findings could be explained by the fact that office workers eventually desire privacy and try to find it by interacting through digital rather than interpersonal means.

A Queensland University of Technology study showed 90% of employees working in offices with an open floor plan experience increased stress levels, conflict, blood pressure and turnover rates.

Pods can provide a break from the togetherness. The personal cubicles are minimal in design, often decked out with a chair, table, outlets, skylight, glass door and soundproofed walls. Prices can range anywhere from $3,495 for a single-user pod from ROOM to $15,995 for an executive suite from ZenBooth.

Pod manufacturers are expanding rapidly. In addition to Zenbooth and ROOM, there are TalkBox, PoppinPod, Spaceworx and Framery. Pod sizes also vary to include individual booths designed for a single user, medium-sized pods for small gatherings of two to three people and larger executive spaces that could host up to four to six people.