Two focuses of my blog are Business/Entrepreneurship and Workplace Discussions. You office space is critical as it’s where your operations are conducted. It thus must be appealing and functional for your staff. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Design Your Office Space.
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Moving into a new office is always exciting. Whether you’ve upsized because your business is growing, you’ve found a better location, or you’re transitioning from being a remote working company to a place where everyone can work together, you’ll need to ensure you really get the layout of your new office just right.
A well-designed and laid-out office can be a great productive space for your employees. It can be somewhere they look forward to going each day and a place where they can feel at ease and as creative as possible. With the wrong layout, people will be uncomfortable and much less productive. They might even be unsafe. With that in mind, here are some ideas to help you design your office space for the best results.
Open Up The Space
An open floor plan is a great way to make the most of any size room. If this requires tearing down cubicle walls or otherwise restructuring the office, then do it. An open workplace design not only makes better use of the available space, which in certain situations can even give the impression of more room, but also provides more opportunities for staff to work together.
As a result, you’ll be able to foster a more productive staff whose members are more comfortable sharing ideas and working together. Plus, just because you have an open plan office, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any privacy – you can install special office pods that will give you meeting rooms or somewhere to take a break when you need one. The best thing to do is to speak to makers of office pods for some advice about what’s going to work best for you.
Use Good Quality Furniture
Office furniture gets a lot of use – people are sitting on those chairs and using those desks for at least eight hours a day, so they will wear out eventually. To save yourself money and to ensure your team is as comfortable as possible, the best thing you can do is really invest in good quality furniture.
For some, this might feel like a waste of money, especially when you can certainly get office furniture for a reduced price if you shop around. However, poor quality furniture costs more overall because you have to replace it more often, and if it’s uncomfortable, it can make your team less productive. Spend as much as your budget will allow on your office furniture, and it will pay you back.
Be Organized
It’s tempting to fill a little office with every amenity imaginable, but if you’re really strapped for square footage, simplicity is key. Avoid an overcrowded appearance by making use of available storage space to stow away unnecessary items. In order to keep things neat and serve as a showcase for prized possessions, innovative shelving and storage systems can be put in place; you don’t have to settle for plain old cabinets.
In order to prevent the chaos that might ensue when a large group of people are confined to a limited area, it’s important to establish ground rules about keeping things tidy and ensuring everything is put away. When this happens, you’ll have a much more pleasant space to work in.
