Creative Office Layouts that Engage Employees

Companies with unique and creative office layouts based around their brands, as a result, inspire and engage their employees to live out their brands’ promises on a daily basis. The following companies have unique office décor and settings to make employees feel a part of the mission and core strength.  Remember not to try and copy them. There’s only one Google and one Dropbox. But instead, adapt their ideas to inspire creativity, enhance collaboration and create your own engaging workplace experience.

Edmunds

Edmunds.com is all about cars and you see it immediately when stepping into their Santa Monica office that houses a couple of hundred employees. Edmunds launched in the 1960s with paper car reports at newsstands and remain recognized as the Car People who make car buying easier.  Their mission is clear once you walk in the door. A classic Corvette is suspended above the reception desk and the extensive coffee bar is decked out in chrome wheels.  The office space is flexible with mini-meeting rooms that are easy to duck in and out of. Departments are arranged with workstations in open areas and there’s plenty of room between them.  Edmunds has been rated as one of the best places to work in Southern California every year since 2010.

Dropbox

Having spiral bound rings above your desk gives a mix of closure and openness. Dropbox has a unique approach to office design and is aware of the drawbacks of the open offices. The file-sharing tech firm has described how providing various types of spaces for employees can allow people to come together in teams to work on a problem and then disperse to work on the details.

Google

Spaces for work and places for play describe in general how Google offices are designed and laid out. The company logo is always present and is integrated into the design. In its relatively recent Pittsburgh office, Google in white letters is neatly painted across a red brick wall to pay respects to the original building.  Google offices include pool tables and foosball games with a design that reflects some of the local flavor.  The innovative and now legendary search firm gives a local, at-home vibe for its employees no matter where they work.

AirBnB

AirBnB’s international offices show that the reception desk represents more than an afterthought. In its London, Sao Paulo and Singapore locations, the reception area is modeled after a front porch. The offices are created in tandem with local design firms and pull on the mission of living anywhere.  The headquarters in San Francisco have work rooms that are modeled after actual apartments and in Singapore there’s bleacher-style seating to hold informal meetings.

Urban Outfitters

In Philadelphia, Urban Outfitters pays homage to a 125-year history of shipbuilding with the layout and look of its design studios. An old navy yard feel is integrated with today’s technology and office comforts.  The office design has been honored by the National AIA Honor Awards Jury for its “tension between old and new … indoor and out … all of this while holding in character with the corporate image.”

What About Creative Office Layouts for Your Company?

You’re probably not trying to make headlines or win awards with your office layout, but does it serve your employees well and represent your brand effectively?  Planning a creative office space that also supports the company’s goals and objectives well takes deliberate thought, but the result is a boost in productivity and office morale.

Consider ways to refresh your workspace. Contact 2010 Office Furniture for expert input based on many years of experience helping corporations, universities, and small businesses throughout Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Read Also: Planning Office Layouts for Today’s Workplace Needs
Main Photo: OFS Brands Kintra Table
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: OFS Brands

Mastering the Activity-Based Office Layout

Mastering the Activity-Based Office Layout

What is an Activity-Based Office Layout

To promote a more productive office, steer clear of the traditional and stationary individual work desks.  Instead, try an activity-based office layout — with work zones, collaboration areas, and places to focus.  The activity-based office layout is a variation on an open office floor plan and foster activity-based working.  Activity-based working means that instead of specific one-man desks where a person works all day, employees can access a variety of spaces throughout their work day. Informal areas are a fit for impromptu meetings and personal areas are available for phone calls and a chance to retreat briefly from a workstation.

Office Layout – Workstations

An activity-based office layout lets employees work in areas that are personally comfortable. Sometimes it’s necessary to work closely with other team members, so select workstations with the styles and customizable features that support a team’s needs.  Privacy is often an issue so choose desks and open-plan benching with partitions that can be removed or installed.  There are many quality workstations available today that are designed for the different personalities that make up a team, along with the needs of individuals. The G Series Desk Lounge is a good example, with a layout that can provide room for four workers, and a casual seating space with a sofa-type cushion. The workstation can be configured if people want to work in pairs or if someone needs to work alone, and the desk surfaces are height adjustable.

Office Layout – Joint Areas

What happens if a focused conversation has to take place and others can’t be interrupted? Create an area for collaboration!  When designing an activity-based office layout even with small workspaces, there are plenty of options for creating collaboration areas. Conversation pods, or co-op meeting spaces, and modular lounge furniture that is easily re-configured make it possible to get ideas out in the open without interrupting flow in designated work areas.  Also consider architectural walls that define space but let light filter through the room.  If spaces seem cluttered and tight, consider what furniture can and needs to go.  A design firm in London, Oktra, did an office overhaul so more collaboration among team members could take place. The company tossed 30 percent of its desks and increased the size used for sharing ideas. An area was also created for employees to use their phones.

Office Layout – Concentration Zones

Healthy boundaries are needed in the workspace — and key for the activity-based office layout. Employees are a mix of introverts and extroverts.  A constant barrage of communication indefinitely can wear people down, and introverts especially need to be able to have a chance to pull back from others when necessary.   Create concentration zones with individual pods, like a privacy booth from KI. Its design reduces surrounding noise and restricts peripheral vision.  Also, playing quiet background music like instrumental jazz and using plants to demarcate space can help create areas for taking a personal call or getting into an assignment.

More Office Space Ideas

When considering to revamp the workplace with an activity-based office layout and create a productive setting with a personal touch, then present a concept and ask the employees for their ideas on designs and touches that they’d like.  There are many things that can be done, even if initially it seems like an impossibility.  For example, if the office can’t afford to install a company gym, maybe consider installing a treadmill or two. That gives employees chances to take a walking break during the day.  It’s also a great idea to keep your office happy with food.  You can bring in catered coffee with a barista once or twice a week, depending on the budget, or have a monthly taco bar.  Bottom line: create spaces for these type of activities that encourage your staff and keep them happy.

2010 Office Furniture offers expert ideas for companies in all industries needing furniture that fits available spaces, goals and objectives. Submit your needs here to get input on space planning, ergonomic furniture and the accessories needed to create an office that brings the most out of people while providing a positive office and work experience.

Image Source: OFS Brands