Stressed at Work? Your Office Phone Booth Could Tell Your Boss

Employees returning to offices have flocked to phone booth-like privacy pods to make calls or just get a bit of quiet. Now, one maker of such booths is testing sensors that can track workers’ stress levels to help companies detect employee angst.

With clients including Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Unilever Plc, Finland’s Framery Oy is one of the biggest worldwide sellers of privacy booths, a staple of post-pandemic offices and one of the fastest-growing segments of the office-furniture market. Framery’s engineers have found a way to embed sensors into the booths’ seats that track the vital signs — heart and breathing rates — of those who sit inside, to detect if, say, the salespeople are getting frazzled. The service isn’t ready to roll out to customers yet, but with burnout rife inside of organizations, Framery Chief Executive Officer Samu Hällfors is convinced he’s onto something.