Say Goodbye to the Old School Office
and Hello to the Future Workspace
Did you ever visit your parents’ office? Was it like something out of Mad Men, with offices surrounding a central secretarial pool? Or a more modern cube farm? Whatever the layout or the era, it was like a glimpse into the future. Your future.
So what happened to that future?
Today, we languish in the same cubicles and other disjointed workplaces that plagued the previous generation. The computers are faster, the cubes may have a fresh cloth covering, and the carpet may be (slightly) updated, but office design has traditionally been the province of office managers just trying to make all the bodies fit. Innovative spaces and new technologies are seen as luxuries that only avant garde businesses can afford.
Technology now supports a wide variety of workstyles, from the desk jockey to the road warrior. The technological advances are across the board—from laptops to printers. It’s time for a better office that enables workers to stay productive wherever and however they work best. Inc. called “Time invested in thoughtful office design…time well spent.” Some of the hottest trends in office space design reflect that idea.
Collaborative Offices
They’re not just for Silicon Valley startups and artsy agencies anymore. Any business can benefit from collaborative office environment, provided your business doesn’t center around privacy like a law firm or doctor’s office. In a collaborative space, there are no cubes and few if any individual offices. This generates a sense of egalitarianism, and is a great cure for the problem of silo-ing. If your organization suffers from a lack of information- or expertise-sharing, a collaborative office can break down those barriers.
Providing Privacy
It doesn’t matter how much you want workers to commune with each other, sometimes you just need some quiet for a client call, a call to the doctor’s office, or just to think something through. Small rooms equipped with a comfy chair and a phone ringing the collaborative space are an invaluable addition.
Room for Mobile and Remote Employees
Everyone needs to feel like they have a space at work to call their own, even if it’s a remote worker who only comes in one day a week. It’s easy to think that they’ll be satisfied with a disused table in a corner somewhere, but they’re much more likely to feel at home if they have a designated space. If you have a group of workers who are only in the office in between business trips, it’s equally important to have space set aside for them that includes all the office necessities. Everyone needs a stapler once in a while, and easy access to amenities like printers.
And If Collaborative Offices Aren’t for You…
If you have a business where privacy is essential or the workforce is resistant to collaborative offices, you can still infuse your company culture into the workplace in unique ways. Inc. cites Etsy’s offices with a craft room and monthly craft nights as an example, but the possibilities are endless. Offer Friday afternoon happy hours, or time off to volunteer services in the community. Whatever you and your employees feel strongly about, weave that into your office environment.
What about Space?
As your workforce continues to grow, you need to find innovative ways to house everyone and their technology. A collaborative workplace is one way to get that spacious feeling. Another is to examine what might be considered sacred in your office and see if perhaps some people who have traditionally had offices can give them up for cubicles or a more open-concept floor plan.
Another possibility lies within the technology itself. Do the majority of your workers use big, bulky desktop PCs? Switching them to laptops can free up space in two ways—one the obvious reduction in footprint, and by allowing them to work from home at regular intervals to switch out workspaces. In fact, a shared workspace scheme works brilliantly for some of the biggest technology companies. Two employees share a cubicle, and switch off work-at-home days.
Another technology you can shrink down is printers. Today’s LaserJet printers from HP are workhorses that still have all the bells and whistles you may not even know you need yet, like secure printing. They are up to 40% smaller than previous iterations, in fact. Less space, more functionality.
Isn’t that the whole goal when it comes to designing the modern office? For more information on office design, view “Thriving in Small Spaces” on SlidesShare.
So what happened to that future?
Today, we languish in the same cubicles and other disjointed workplaces that plagued the previous generation. The computers are faster, the cubes may have a fresh cloth covering, and the carpet may be (slightly) updated, but office design has traditionally been the province of office managers just trying to make all the bodies fit. Innovative spaces and new technologies are seen as luxuries that only avant garde businesses can afford.
Technology now supports a wide variety of workstyles, from the desk jockey to the road warrior. The technological advances are across the board—from laptops to printers. It’s time for a better office that enables workers to stay productive wherever and however they work best. Inc. called “Time invested in thoughtful office design…time well spent.” Some of the hottest trends in office space design reflect that idea.
Collaborative Offices
They’re not just for Silicon Valley startups and artsy agencies anymore. Any business can benefit from collaborative office environment, provided your business doesn’t center around privacy like a law firm or doctor’s office. In a collaborative space, there are no cubes and few if any individual offices. This generates a sense of egalitarianism, and is a great cure for the problem of silo-ing. If your organization suffers from a lack of information- or expertise-sharing, a collaborative office can break down those barriers.
Providing Privacy
It doesn’t matter how much you want workers to commune with each other, sometimes you just need some quiet for a client call, a call to the doctor’s office, or just to think something through. Small rooms equipped with a comfy chair and a phone ringing the collaborative space are an invaluable addition.
Room for Mobile and Remote Employees
Everyone needs to feel like they have a space at work to call their own, even if it’s a remote worker who only comes in one day a week. It’s easy to think that they’ll be satisfied with a disused table in a corner somewhere, but they’re much more likely to feel at home if they have a designated space. If you have a group of workers who are only in the office in between business trips, it’s equally important to have space set aside for them that includes all the office necessities. Everyone needs a stapler once in a while, and easy access to amenities like printers.
And If Collaborative Offices Aren’t for You…
If you have a business where privacy is essential or the workforce is resistant to collaborative offices, you can still infuse your company culture into the workplace in unique ways. Inc. cites Etsy’s offices with a craft room and monthly craft nights as an example, but the possibilities are endless. Offer Friday afternoon happy hours, or time off to volunteer services in the community. Whatever you and your employees feel strongly about, weave that into your office environment.
What about Space?
As your workforce continues to grow, you need to find innovative ways to house everyone and their technology. A collaborative workplace is one way to get that spacious feeling. Another is to examine what might be considered sacred in your office and see if perhaps some people who have traditionally had offices can give them up for cubicles or a more open-concept floor plan.
Another possibility lies within the technology itself. Do the majority of your workers use big, bulky desktop PCs? Switching them to laptops can free up space in two ways—one the obvious reduction in footprint, and by allowing them to work from home at regular intervals to switch out workspaces. In fact, a shared workspace scheme works brilliantly for some of the biggest technology companies. Two employees share a cubicle, and switch off work-at-home days.
Another technology you can shrink down is printers. Today’s LaserJet printers from HP are workhorses that still have all the bells and whistles you may not even know you need yet, like secure printing. They are up to 40% smaller than previous iterations, in fact. Less space, more functionality.
Isn’t that the whole goal when it comes to designing the modern office? For more information on office design, view “Thriving in Small Spaces” on SlidesShare.