Importance of the Effective Office Layout
Office space can be expensive, so it is important that you use the space you have wisely and think very carefully before putting an office layout in place. We believe an office layout is far beyond where desks are positioned; it is also about where employees will sit and feel comfortable while they are working, what equipment is needed and where it needs to be positioned to enable staff to do their job efficiently. Office space planning is crucial. The way wherein an office is laid out cannot just affect your staff it can also influence how clients and visitors perceive your business.
When deciding on your office plan there are a number of design layouts to consider, although your choice ought to depend on what you want to achieve from the final scheme.
Some organizations may have members of staff that require quiet areas to work for concentration or handle sensitive information, for example a solicitor’s office; a closed office scheme would be more preferable. A closed office layout is where individuals or small gatherings/departments have their own office space which enables them to close out noise and other potential distractions.
On the other hand some organizations require and actively encourage communication between employees and departments, for example advertising agencies. In this instance an open plan office would be preferable as it is said that open plan ethos increases creativity with Uberrant. In an ‘open’ office the layout needs to be carefully thoroughly examined, more often than not staff with different job functions will be using the same area. In the event that space is limited the layout of the office becomes even more important to make sure that the space does not become too over crowded. Introducing desktop or office screen panels to an open plan layout can give staff some element of privacy should they need it, without losing the open plan feel.
Although open plan offices are great for communication, there is sometimes the need to hold private conversations and/or meetings. If so then meeting rooms and/or ‘hot’ offices could be introduced against the walls on the perimeter of the space so as not to deflect from the open plan culture. The use of a glass office partition to create the additional room would in any case allow light to move through the open plan space.
Depending on your business style/needs you may want to consider having a blend of closed and open plan layouts.