DESIGN & INTERIORS


SPACE WITHOUT COMPROMISE


With continued uncertainty over trading, rapid growth in some sectors and collapses in others, workplace design has never been more important. Isabel Spence from Banner, explains the best ways to maximise space without compromising on staff wellbeing.


Market inconsistency has been just about the only consistent thing throughout the pandemic, and a cross- sector skills shortage has made recruitment a war for talent. Many businesses are downsizing offices and embracing hybrid working permanently to reduce overheads. Other businesses are expanding as rapidly as they can, provided they can attract staff. Any way you slice it, there is a lot of movement going on.


Maximising the space you have is obviously the first priority in these circumstances. In the old days ‘maximising space’ might have meant stuffing as many desks as physically possible into a single room, like sardines in a can. But we know now this has a negative effect on productivity, employee wellbeing and mental health, and job satisfaction. In a post-Covid world your office needs to not only help you compete for new talent, but also for your existing staff with the ease and convenience of their home offices.


Wasted space is wasted money, but at the same time you don’t want productivity or staff morale to drop. It can be


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hard to imagine how to do this, but there are some simple changes and furniture hacks you can utilise to maximise space in every sense.


Tip number one, the first thing you need to change is your mindset, specifically when it comes to what constitutes ‘wasted space’. Desks on desks on desks is not ideal and, despite the fact that they won’t be used all the time, zoned areas for break outs, collaborative group work, private calls and meetings are essential. That’s just a reality of creating a productive workplace that has to be accepted.


Likewise, having banks of hot desks in rows is a great way to get more bums on seats per square footage, but it’s not really optimised if you don’t consider those few job roles in your business that actually require a quiet environment to work, or a permanent desk. Finance teams, for example, usually need some peace to be able to get on with their number crunching, and designers and technicians may need specialised equipment to do their jobs, so it doesn’t make sense for them to have to move workstations day-to-day.


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