Business planning

Do’s and Don’ts for Designing an Open Office

OpenOffice

The success of an organization depends significantly on its office. If you want the employees to do their best, then you need to make sure that you are providing them a comfortable working space. The office layout should be selected carefully because it will affect the productivity of the office. There are different types of office layouts you can choose from as the choices are limitless.

The open-office plan is a popular choice as they are known to increase the level of collaboration and creativity. It is different from the traditional offices as there are no private areas or any distinct functional areas. The open office design can be a disaster if you are not careful. If you want the employees to enhance their productivity, then you need to make sure you are providing a comfortable place. The open-office design has gained popularity as famous companies like Facebook and Google prefer the design and you can find a lot of such offices in large cities.

Here are a few tips that will help in creating the best open office design.

Choosing Move-able Furniture:

The furniture is an important part of the working space. The comfort of the employees depends significantly on the choice of furniture. The open space does not provide much privacy to the employees which can be a problem for employees that are introverts and they mind need some privacy and quiet from time to time. The move-able furniture is suitable for an open-office plan as it offers flexibility. The furniture can be moved to create individual or a collaborative space. It allows the employees to switch between the different work modes and improve efficiency.

Avoid Assigned Seating:

In offices, people are assigned to a specific cubicle. Working in the same cubicle can be boring and it can have a negative impact on the productivity of their work. The management sat separately in closed offices which prevent interaction. It is better to avoid assigning seating to the employees. The flexibility of the offices allows them to enjoy better collaboration. If the employees are finding it hard to concentrate because of the noise or any other reason, they can change their seating. The flexibility of seating arrangement will have a good impact on the performance of the employees.

Keeping the Noise Under Control:

One of the biggest problem people can face with an open-office place is the noise. It may be difficult for some people to concentrate on work if there is collaborative work going on nearby. The best way of controlling the noise is to educate the employees and make sure that they understand the rules about noise. If the team is doing collaborative work, then they should make sure that they use reasonable voice level. The meetings should not be conducted in the working area. Avoid talking loudly to the employees while sitting at your table.

Avoid using speakers and if you are listening to any audio or taking a call, use a headphone. Avoid interrupting an ongoing meeting. Make sure that the ringers and notifications are not too loud.be respectful to the privacy of other people working around you.

Keeping Things Organized:

The clutter can make a place look small and it can also have a negative impact on the look of the whole office. When the employees have a separate office that are behind closed doors then they can keep their desks any way they want but in an open-office plan the desks are in the open so they should be kept tidy. If you do not keep the desk tidy, then the clutter will be spread across other people’s working areas and create a mess.

Create Quiet and Collaborating Areas:

The open-office plan is designed to increase collaboration which results in better and more creative business solutions. Collaboration requires communication and too much communication can get too noisy for the employees busy in other tasks. Designating a particular area to collaborate tasks will make it easier to get the work done and the employees not involved in that task will not be disturbed at all.

Create a Break Area:

The employees do not work all the time. They need to take a break from time to time so that they can stay fresh and produce better results. In an open-office plan it is not possible to relax in your own office space as you do not have one. The open-office design must have a break area where people can go, relax and enjoy their lunch. A good break area will give the employees a break from the hustle of the office and they will be able to have some quiet time. It will relax their mind improve the productivity.

The open office plans have pros and cons. If you want to make the best of the design you should make sure that you make the right choices.

by http://www.ny-offices.com/

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