The Best Office Spaces are Responsive to Employee Needs

Best Office Spaces ERG International Connos, Newport and Tango Collection

Office spaces that are responsive to a changing marketplace and the circumstances impacting society have a competitive advantage. Employees should be able to focus even when change swirls around them, and they can use different spaces that give them the freedom to work as effectively as possible.

Keeping your team healthy and well is a high priority due to Covid-19 and ailments from colds and the seasonal flu. Sick employees, upticks in sales that create demand for more workers, or economic downturns affect how many permanent and temporary staff occupy the floor space.

Best Office Spaces Friant My-Hite
Photo: Friant My-Hite Tables

A strategic office design and space plan charts the regular workflow through the workspaces and environmentsneeded to meet your goals. Each space contributes to employee productivity and achieving the results you want for your organization.

Assigned Spaces

The responsibilities that you have as an employee often begin at your assigned workstation or desk. Whether you’re the CEO, Vice President, a mid-level manager, or just starting out with a new company this is where you’re expected to perform at a maximum level.

Strategic space planning will allow for an effective workflow between individuals and departments.

Workspaces that are responsive to the needs of employees are considered ergonomic and make use of flexible furnishings like the Friant My-Hite Height Adjustable Workstation or the Hon Accelerate Workstation. Multiple configurations are possible to safely accommodate individual workers side by side or in small groups.

Best Office Spaces HON Accelerate
Photo: HON Accelerate Collection

Remote Spaces

When stay-at-home orders were issued during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote spaces became a necessity and not just a cool option. Employees who were accustomed to the layout of a corporate office were suddenly asked to work from home, competing with personal needs like children taking online classes in the living room or their bedrooms.

In today’s world, if a team member has a bad cold, but is still well enough to work, then staying at a home office or other remote space is a smart option.

Best Office Spaces Friant Collection
Photo: Friant Work From Home Collection

Looking ahead, one-third of full-time employees in the U.S. are expected to work remotely in the coming decade as noted in TechRepublic.

What makes an effective remote space?

Uncluttered space is important, one where an employee can step out of their personal life and into their professional role. An adequate surface, an ergonomic chair, and an Internet service that has satisfactory transmission rates all help to make a productive work area.

And just like in a corporate office setting, have access to natural light and move often to change the body’s position and posture.

Collaborative Spaces

Getting together to lay out challenges and find solutions is an important part of any business. It’s possible in an open office environment to create collaborative spaces that don’t interfere with the work of individuals who need to focus.

Look at what you can use to define the space:

Best Office Spaces OFS Obeya Architectural Structure
Photo: Obeya Architectural Structures

These products create flexible, or responsive, environments. You can move different pieces to fit the needs of the moment, keep the furnishings and accessories in one place or rearrange them to create a new area.

Add personality with the OFS Obeya Architectural Structure. You can add audio-visual equipment, curtains, additional panels, planters, and other accessories.

A collaborative space can also double as personal areas for employees when a group isn’t meeting.

Restful Spaces

Don’t confuse restfulness with a lack of productivity.

Whether it’s legend, fact, or a combination of both, it’s widely reported that Albert Einstein slept for about 10 hours every night and, in addition, he’d take regular naps during the day. He’d let his sub-conscious tackle problems and then come up with solutions while he dozed.

The lesson for us today is that an office that’s all work and no personal reflection is draining. We can thrive on fast-paced excitement, but many times we also need to withdraw and quiet down.

We can’t live non-stop in a fight-or-flight response, as noted in Understanding the Stress Response on HarvardHealth.com. Chronic stress “contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction.”

What does a restful place look like?

Define the space by creating a boundary that’s similar to collaborative spaces. If possible, allow for a flow of natural lighting and use plenty of indoor plants to bring in nature. Plants help the air remain fresh, they boost moods, ease stress and deflect sound waves for a quieter area.


Photo: Nevins Climb Seating Series

A modular arrangement like the kind available with the Nevins Climb Multi-Level Seating solution allows the furniture to be used for individuals or group meetings.

You can make a rest area look more like a living room and less like an airport lounge for the most personal touch possible.

Patios are a bonus. Install sliding glass doors to connect an indoor space with the outdoors where team members can retreat to for quiet moments. You may choose to have one space like a lounge for phone calls, and another space for reading, writing and reflective thinking.


Photo: Nevins Synk2 and Climb Seating Series

Resource Spaces

No industry is immune from some sort of change today, whether that due’s to a worldwide phenomenon like the Covid-19 virus or technology changing how business is done.

Staying up to date is essential. Dedicate a small space as a learning center. You can have books and magazines on a shelf, a computer dedicated to research, and a bulletin board where you encourage employees to post an article they’ve read that lead to an aha! moment or breakthrough.


Photo: Global Linking Panels

Defining spaces shows that you expect more than people showing up, putting in their time, clocking out and then going home. You’re investing in them and you see them as the company’s most valuable assets.

Different spaces have specific purposes. Put them together and you’re working to create community and a shared experience. The team stays engaged with their work and with each other.

Get Professional Guidance on Creating the Best Office Spaces

An effective office layout takes deliberate planning around your corporate goals.

2010 Office Furniture can help to maximize productivity and create the best office spaces possible for your company. Share your space planning and office furniture needs to get the input you need.

The team at 2010 Office has nearly a half-century of combined experience advising and supplying the most distinguished companies in Southern California.

Read Also: Office of the Future: Plan an Office that Meets Your Company Goals and Personal Needs
Main Photo: ERG International
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: ERG International, Friant, HON, OFS, Nevins, and Global Furniture Group

 

Your Guide to Choosing the Best Office Layout

Your Guide to Choosing the Best Office Layout

If you’re looking for a guide to help you choose the best office layout with maximum effectiveness, you’ve come to the right place!  An office layout is part of your brand and a direct representation of your company.  A well-designed and properly planned space conveys the order, quality, and stability of your brand, both to your employees and the clients who visit.  Read on to evaluate your needs — based on your type of company, your staff, and what your plans are for the future–and follow the guide below for some insights on how to create your best office layout.

Your Type of Company

Best office layouts can change depending on your type of company and stage of existence. There’s certainly cross-over from one category to another and today’s flexible designs can be adapted for various situations. Still, how you see yourself can determine the type of workstations and storage solutions you select.

START-UP

If you’ve followed in the footsteps of the Hewlett Packard story and you’ve moved out of the garage — then congratulations! Setting up a new office is daunting and it’s tempting to buy used furniture that doesn’t cost much.  Remember that while affordable quality used office furniture is available, the price difference however, with buying new furniture is minimal.  At this stage in the game, also consider that now’s the time to invest in a layout that’s modular. Start with the most essential pieces and add as growth occurs and the budget allows.

TECH, PR, ENTERTAINMENT

In areas like Hollywood, Santa Monica and Culver City, open office layouts are widely used with technology, public relations firms and production companies. The need for collaborating on projects is high and an open office layout supports communication.  Use height-adjustable tables and desks that can meet the varying needs of individuals. Provide private spaces for employees to retreat into a quiet, brainstorming mode.  Set the open tone with reception desks that have a minimal, modern and approachable appearance.

ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL FIRM

A professional law or engineering firm will usually have a high need for traditional private offices. Desks and related storage with ergonomic chairs can still invite collaboration and discussion. Or, in a private space, consider comfortable chairs off to the side for inter-personal communication.

CORPORATIONS WITH DEPARTMENTAL BOUNDARIES

An established corporate office with well-staffed departments can use a variety of office layouts, or a modular approach, based on the needs of upper management and specific departments.  Cubicles can offer privacy but allow for communication and transparency with translucent or clear partitions. Departments can use pods for small groups of workers and provide for individual storage needs and equip private offices with traditional desk and storage designs.

NONPROFIT

Nonprofits in Southern California are as different as the people they serve. From health-care and after-school programs to foster care and food programs, staffing needs and the way they operate vary greatly.  Nonprofits that have program recipients coming in can invest in quality multi-purpose chairs that are durable with budget-smart chairs and conference tables for board meetings.

MANUFACTURING

Companies that turn raw materials into products for aerospace, the fashion industry, and small manufacturing firms can use a mix of public and private spacing. Make access to the production floor easy but cut down noise and distractions with private cubicle spaces.  Give labor comfortable seating options and arrangements during break times.

Staff Functions and Needs

Your office layout will be affected by how often your staff is in versus out. Think of how the behavioral needs of a real estate brokerage firm in Beverly Hills are quite different than an accounting firm in Glendale.

HEAVY USER STORAGE NEEDS VS MINIMAL

The need for file storage that’s office-wide or heavy in one department and light in another can impact layout. One central storage area that’s well-equipped may serve the needs well, or each workstation can have its own available storage.

COMPUTER USE VS CLIENT-INTERACTION IN-PERSON OR PHONE

The more work revolves around client interaction online compared to phone or in person then lean toward workstations for open office and modular designs.

OUTSIDE SALES VS DESK WORKER

Professionals like real estate agents who are mostly out seeing clients can use shared spaces quite well. Create modular conference areas when important documents need signing.

TEAM-CENTERED

A firm that’s heavily team-centered can use an open office layout with clearly designated quiet areas and open spaces for breaks.

Future Projections

Plan for the mid-term and long-term future. An established corporation in a mature industry will likely use the same layouts with only subtle changes for the future. An entrepreneurial firm that goes from boot-strapping to steady cashflow will undergo much greater changes in the same period of time.

TEMPORARY PROJECTS

Public relations firms and entertainment firms that bring in freelance talent on a project to consult and then disburse should focus on areas that serve group brainstorming and problem-solving.

GROWTH AND EXPANSION

The startup or small office intent on winning more business can use a minimalist, modular design.

MATURE COMPANIES

Provide for efficient flow of information between departments.

Getting Started on Your Best Office Layout

If you are ready to design your best office layout please don’t hesitate to ask us for help.  Our office furniture experts are here to guide you and help you every step of the way

Read also: How to Select an Open Office or Private Office Layout

Image Source: OFS Brands Aptos