Planning Office Space for Improved Inter-Office Relationships and Greater Employee Well-Being

A well-planned office space can improve relationships in the office and boost an employee’s overall well-being. The result is a reduction in issues like absenteeism and low output. Your environment benefits both the mindset and the physical health of your team.

Think of the office as a place where healthy relationships are needed to complete tasks.

Let’s look at easy ways to refresh a design and plan space so people have a sense of connection to their work and with each other.

Plan for Daylight

Sunshine is abundant everywhere in Southern California—from Riverside and Ontario to the beaches of Los Angeles County and Orange County. Workers with plenty of sunshine enjoy higher morale during the day and are more rested when sleeping at night.

How do you harness light?

Installing light tubes is an easy way to let more daylight into otherwise darkened spaces. If the roof isn’t accessible, then get the most you can from light streaming through windows.

Minimize the use of solid partitions when possible and reduce the height of cubicle walls.

Artificial light is still necessary so use ergonomic task lighting and also use bright colors in the breakroom so it feels as airy and relaxed as possible.

An architectural and interior design firm, Bockus Payne, moved locations and designed their new office around daylight. Company executives found that the team was more likely to greet each other positively than they had before.

Their experience is described in an article on Workdesign.com, “How Physical Spaces Shape Human Relationships and Emotional Well-Being.”

Even a design firm has to learn lessons. Here’s something else they learned: keep partitions as low as possible.

Reduce the Height of Partitions

Privacy is necessary, but partitions can make someone feel like they’re working in a closet.


Photo: Loftwall Flox Room Divider

When Bockus Payne moved offices, they learned their partitions were too high and described the change:

“The new office balances separation and a completely open environment, with lower-height panels that make it easier to interact and stay connected while still allowing people to pin up personal items, calendars, and notes.”

The result is a work environment that’s friendly and vibrant. Social relationships are a major bonus when employees are collaborating and problem-solving with peers.

Use open-plan benching arrangements and cubicles that meet the needs of your team like the Maverick Apex Open Plan Desking. It’s a modular solution that can be used with just a few people or configured for a team that’s growing.


Photo: HON Concinnity Desk

Another approach is to use a model like the HON Concinnity Desk with a partition that either rests on the floor or on a desktop like the Loftwall Hitch Space Divider.

Accommodate Different Generations and Personalities

Who are your peers at work?

Your colleagues may be quite different from each other in age and personality. This can impact work habits. One person may be most comfortable with meetings around a more formal conference table, while someone else can interact much more comfortably with a cup of coffee or tea in a breakroom or lounge setting.

Different environments affect people and their abilities to communicate with each other.


Photo: DARRAN Chameleon Workspace

Don’t consider that a problem or a barrier to accomplishing tasks and getting along as a team.

Use office designs to bring out the best in each other by planning different types of spaces within a larger office setting.

Let’s say your company is a professional services firm in Irvine or in Santa Monica so you want it to look neat, orderly, and convey expertise and credibility.

But that doesn’t mean the furnishings have to be rigid.

Modular lounge furniture comes in all styles and designs so you can have traditional-looking private executive offices with desks like the Cherryman Emerald Desk. Then you can incorporate lounge areas with furniture that’s comfortable and fun to move around, like the Krug Zola Modular Lounge Seating arrangement.


Photo: Krug Zola Lounge Seating

Browse through the 2010 Office Inspirations page to see the various office designs that are showcased. See how the colors and fabrics blend to create specific office environments.


Photo: 9 to 5 Seating Lilly Office Reception Chairs

Remember that your goal is planning for positive interactions in a supportive office setting.

The Value of Experience

Get input on your project from the team at 2010 Office Furniture. They have over a combined half-century of experience working with clients in different industries. The organizations are among Southern California’s most distinguished corporations, universities, and small businesses.

2010 Office Furniture offers space planning so you can feel confident in choosing just the right furnishings.

Contact them with your questions and project needs.

Read Also: Harnessing the Benefits of Collaborative Workspaces
Main Photo: Loftwall Gravity Acoustic Divider
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: 9 to 5 Seating, DARRAN, HON,  Krug, Loftwall, Maverick

Essentials for the Corporate and Home Office Spaces

Essentials for the Corporate and Home Office Spaces

Employees working remotely are no longer an exception.  In the aftermath of Covid-19, companies have learned to accept employees working from both corporate and home office spaces, as well as other remote places.

The corporate office is still necessary. Goals that fulfill the mission of the company begin in a central location and move outward, like spokes from the center of a bicycle wheel.

The main office, home offices, and third spaces like coffee shops and co-working sites all serve a specific purpose and fulfill a need.

What is essential for a company’s primary office and remote locations to function well?

Start with clear goals.

Office Essentials: The Goal

Companies are in business because they sell products or provide services that customers either need or want. Simple. Nonprofit organizations offer programs to meet community needs.

When the goals are clear, workers know what’s expected of them.

Office environments exist to provide a number of functions that range from designing and producing the products or tracking the services that are provided.

An office supports the work through a layout that promotes an efficient flow of work with equipment ranging from workstations to modems and printers.

A key element in a successful corporate and home office design is that the environment is planned and designed to support the workers so they can readily complete their tasks.

Reaching the Goal: Mission and Vision

Companies with clear missions and a vision on moving forward have a subtle, but clear advantage over competitors. There’s a framework that guides decisions on everything from improving operations to engaging in new marketing opportunities.

Office morale also impacts business. Although it’s intangible, lack of morale is evident in employee listlessness or a resignation to doing a job. An office design can help boost the overall morale by providing a pleasant atmosphere with pleasing colors and comfortable fabrics.

People today seek community, and companies that offer a flexible community where talent is respected will operate with a higher degree of morale and productivity than those who see their employees as commodities.

Office planning and design lays the foundation for bringing workers together.

Supportive Environments

There’s not one specific type of corporate and home office setting that works best. People can adapt to their surroundings, but you’ll do well to draw from your brand and the image you give to customers. Develop a supportive environment based on design.

Design for Corporate and Home Office Spaces

The Office Inspirations page of the 2010 Office Furniture website offers a look at the style that fits different personalities.

Does a minimalist approach reflect your operations? If so, then check the Modern Industrial office. This works especially for companies that operate without much of a hierarchy.


Photo: Senator Group Pailo Workstation


Photo: SitOnIt Sona Chair

This is a look that Google has used in the office it opened in Pittsburgh, keeping a brick wall and elements that pay heritage to the industrial past of the area.

If your office is in or near an urban village setting like Old Town Pasadena or Westwood, then consider the Upbeat Contemporary office.


Photo: Allermuir Famiglia Chair

Colors and the styles of workstations have a psychological impact, even if it’s subtle. This sets the tone.

Think of it this way:

  • How well does your equipment work?
  • Is it newer or older?
  • Do your chairs and workstations adequately flex to your workers’ shapes or do people have to adjust to the equipment?
  • Is there plenty of natural light flowing through the area or is it relatively dark?
  • Is there a soothing and pleasant color scheme throughout or are the walls an older basic color?

A home office can have minimal standards, too. Quality desking, ergonomic chairs and adequate lighting are the basics.

Establish a positive tone in both the corporate and home office to signal your care and concern for the team.

Use Quality, Ergonomic Equipment for Corporate and Home Office Spaces

Sitting at a desk isn’t a passive activity. Gravity normally exerts pressure on the neck and shoulders, but the muscles are further aggravated by leaning forward for long periods of time.

And pay attention to the chairs that your team needs. Sitting at awkward angles constricts circulation in addition to stressing the body.

Ergonomic chairs will support a person’s shape and natural movements to ease joint strains. Additionally, height adjustable desks keep a laptop and monitor at eye level to limit the amount of leaning forward. Remember the importance of good lighting to reduce the risk of eye strain.


Photo: Deskmakers Ascend Height Adjustable Desk

Essential Office Protections

Extend the atmosphere of well-being by installing simple protective screens. These can be partitions between desks and work stations that also offer privacy, like the Loftwell Split Space Divider or the Enwork Freestanding Screen.

Counter shields and desktop shields also offer protection so your team can work in the corporate office with confidence.


Photo: Loftwall Desk Shield and Split, Allermuir Famiglia

Get Expert Advice on Corporate and Home Office Spaces

Let the team at 2010 Office Furniture know about your office planning and furnishing needs. They have more than 50 years of combined experience helping Southern California’s most distinguished companies.

Contact them with a phone call or email.

Read Also: Repurpose Your Office Space for the Post-Covid Work World
Main Photo: Source International Fjord Multi-Use Chair
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Allermuir, Deskmakers, Loftwall, Senator Group, SitOnIt Seating& Source International