SPACE PLANNING & INTERIORS
THE OFFICE ISN’T DEAD: SPACE MANAGEMENT AND ADAPTABILITY
Paula Marshall is head of furniture sales operations at business solutions provider Office Depot, here she explains why the designated workplace is making a comeback.
Supported by technological advancements and a growing preference for flexibility, the past few years have seen employees leave the traditional workplace in their droves, with remote working increasing in popularity. However, the tide is beginning to turn, and many employers are keen to attract staff back into the office in order to promote collaboration, improve communication and increase productivity. In order for such efforts to be successful, facilities managers must play a key role in creating a carefully considered and adaptable environment that reflects the evolving needs of the workforce.
With office rents on the rise, effective space management is essential. This has led to the proliferation of adaptable workspaces that can be adjusted to accommodate employees when undertaking a variety of different tasks, as well as making space for staff members who balance home or mobile working with part time office work. In this instance, combining a hot-desking provision with movable partitions and mobile desks can prove invaluable, significantly reducing the amount of ‘dead space’ and allowing the physical layout to be amended depending upon employees’ individual requirements.
The reconfiguration of modular and mobile furniture can create bespoke areas suitable for both collaborative working and private spaces which aid the undertaking of individual or cognitively challenging tasks.
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There is also the opportunity for facilities managers to promote a business’ culture through design. It is well-known that increased interaction and socialisation with peers increases job satisfaction and creative ideas sharing, therefore installing a company break room may prove useful in encouraging open communication between staff. Similarly, providing a separate environment where employees can take a physical and mental break from their work and enjoy a refreshment or light-hearted conversation with colleagues also improves concentration and cumulative productivity.
“INCREASED INTERACTION AND
SOCIALISATION WITH PEERS INCREASES JOB SATISFACTION AND IDEA SHARING.”
An issue commonly shared within larger businesses is how to create a workspace that promotes a sense of team cohesion and identity. This is especially challenging within vast office spaces, where it is often most cost-effective to purchase furniture and interior features en masse, yet can reduce the visual appeal and atmosphere of the office environment. One current trend that can be deployed to assuage this is the adoption of zonal layouts. Here, particular departments, teams or
‘zones’ are depicted by moderate changes in colour scheme or the use of subtle design features.
For example, facilities managers may change the colour of a team’s seating, or issue the whole office with a regulation desk or workstation, with each division being marked by different colour legs or desk tops. These small touches are extremely effective in promoting a sense of team and cementing an individual’s place in a large workplace, while also allowing increasing ease of re-configuration and offering a longer life-span than bespoke one off items that can become outdated more quickly.
To further drive cost efficiencies, facilities managers should again aim to choose interior solutions that adopt subtle design features rather than rigidly adhering to the company brand or logo, which may lack longevity or require the use of a harsh colour palette. This zonal solution can also prove useful in an operational sense, signposting employees to the correct point of contact or department.
In adopting inventive and intuitive design solutions such as an adaptable office space, employee break rooms and zonal layouts, facilities managers can play a pivotal role in attracting staff back into the workplace and maximising productivity. Implementing such solutions now can achieve significant cost-savings in the long run, while also eliminating wasted space and increasing the retention of skilled staff.
www.officedepot.eu twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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