5 Tips to Consider While Designing an Office Layout

Does your office layout reflect your company culture?

This is the one question every business owner and facility managers should ask to themselves at times.

Office layout has a very broad meaning. From the systematic planning of equipment, machines, furniture to provide sufficient space to employees for work with efficiency comes under this term.

When the management decides to establish an office either by purchasing or renting, it has to cautiously define its plan for organized and scientific segmentation of various departments and equipment for the office.  You have to customize the office layout in a manner which reflects your company culture.

Planning and executing a new office layout is not an easy task. It takes lots of time and brainstorming. Here are few important tips which need to be considered when creating an office layout:

1. ENOUGH SPACE FOR ALL                      

One of the most important parts of office layout designing is to assure proper amount of space to everybody and everything.  An optimal floor plan is needed for placing furniture and other equipment.  Employees, visitors, and clients should be able to move freely around while entering to the office, walking between workstations or going to meeting or discussion room.

There must be well-planned spaces for large equipment like copiers so that every employee in need can use them effectively without any chaos.             

2. DESIGN FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

It’s a fact for any business that all departments don’t need the same level of collaboration. So you will need to consider an office layout which ensures seamless communication within and between the teams.

A great office layout should ensure to have better inter and intra-department communication.  As a business owner and facility manager it’s your responsibility to plan for an open office or dedicated meeting rooms.

Providing dedicated spaces for discussions and meeting are very important to ensure the right flow of communication at the same time sitting arrangements should be planned for better communication within the teams.

3. FLUID NAVIGATION

There must be an easy navigation throughout the office. There must be proper evacuation plans and fire safety exits. An effective floor plan is essential for the productive work environment. It’s better to think about the teams and their level of collaborations before designing office layout. It’s better to place two teams nearby which needs to collaborate more often. A better office layout design always ensures to have fewer movements of people and assets.

Few questions will help you to design effective office layouts like - Is the main meeting room easily reachable from the main entrance?

Can some visitors easily navigate to CEO’s office?  

Design your office in a way so that everything would be in the place where it should have been.          

4. EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES

An office space layout should be designed in a way which can save costs to the company. There should be the effective use of resources in an office. A study reveals that almost 35% of the average office space remains vacant during work hours.

It’s the responsibility of the facility manager to ensure that the whole team is using the space to its maximum capacity. It’s also important to have a proper plan for effective uses of lighting, heating and cooling costs.

A lot of companies are providing work from home facility to its employees these days. You should take care of these as well while designing office layout.

5. OFFICE AMENITIES

It’s a well-known fact that productivity increases when employees feel happy at the workplace. There should be some specific amenities to make employees feel happy like fitness centers, music rooms or recreational rooms.  These days few employers even add nap rooms or special spaces for relaxation in workplaces.

Facility managers should be very careful in designing these kinds of spaces. They can check with employees about the amenities of their choices to ensure that these spaces wouldn’t end up unused.  

If you’ll implement these points in designing your new office space layout then your employees will feel more comfortable at the workplace and it will result in more productivity.

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5 Tips to Consider While Designing an Office Layout

Does your office layout reflect your company culture?

This is the one question every business owner and facility managers should ask to themselves at times.

Office layout has a very broad meaning. From the systematic planning of equipment, machines, furniture to provide sufficient space to employees for work with efficiency comes under this term.

When the management decides to establish an office either by purchasing or renting, it has to cautiously define its plan for organized and scientific segmentation of various departments and equipment for the office.  You have to customize the office layout in a manner which reflects your company culture.

Planning and executing a new office layout is not an easy task. It takes lots of time and brainstorming. Here are few important tips which need to be considered when creating an office layout:

1. ENOUGH SPACE FOR ALL                      

One of the most important parts of office layout designing is to assure proper amount of space to everybody and everything.  An optimal floor plan is needed for placing furniture and other equipment.  Employees, visitors, and clients should be able to move freely around while entering to the office, walking between workstations or going to meeting or discussion room.

There must be well-planned spaces for large equipment like copiers so that every employee in need can use them effectively without any chaos.             

2. DESIGN FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

It’s a fact for any business that all departments don’t need the same level of collaboration. So you will need to consider an office layout which ensures seamless communication within and between the teams.

A great office layout should ensure to have better inter and intra-department communication.  As a business owner and facility manager it’s your responsibility to plan for an open office or dedicated meeting rooms.

There must be well-planned spaces for large equipment like copiers so that every employee in need can use them effectively without any chaos.             

2. DESIGN FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

It’s a fact for any business that all departments don’t need the same level of collaboration. So you will need to consider an office layout which ensures seamless communication within and between the teams.

A great office layout should ensure to have better inter and intra-department communication.  As a business owner and facility manager it’s your responsibility to plan for an open office or dedicated meeting rooms.

Few questions will help you to design effective office layouts like - Is the main meeting room easily reachable from the main entrance?

Can some visitors easily navigate to CEO’s office?  

Design your office in a way so that everything would be in the place where it should have been.          

4. EFFECTIVE USE OF RESOURCES

An office space layout should be designed in a way which can save costs to the company. There should be the effective use of resources in an office. A study reveals that almost 35% of the average office space remains vacant during work hours.

It’s the responsibility of the facility manager to ensure that the whole team is using the space to its maximum capacity. It’s also important to have a proper plan for effective uses of lighting, heating and cooling costs.

A lot of companies are providing work from home facility to its employees these days. You should take care of these as well while designing office layout.

5. OFFICE AMENITIES

It’s a well-known fact that productivity increases when employees feel happy at the workplace. There should be some specific amenities to make employees feel happy like fitness centers, music rooms or recreational rooms.  These days few employers even add nap rooms or special spaces for relaxation in workplaces.

Facility managers should be very careful in designing these kinds of spaces. They can check with employees about the amenities of their choices to ensure that these spaces wouldn’t end up unused.  

If you’ll implement these points in designing your new office space layout then your employees will feel more comfortable at the workplace and it will result in more productivity.

What Do Millennials Expect from the Office Space?

Creating a productive office environment is a dream for all employers. An office space which can attract new talents and which can retain them for longer is the ultimate goal of a facility manager of an organization. Now a new generation of employees known as Millennials has entered the workforce, so it creates a need to understand their preferences of the workplace before any such planning.  

A Millennial is someone born in between the early 80s to late 90s. There is no fixed date of defining this term but it's widely accepted that anyone born between 1982 and 2000 is called a Millennial. They are known for displaying a high level of social consciousness. They are positive and ready to take new experiences. Millennials are also very demanding for the flat work environment and give high importance to work-life balance.

India’s larger population is under age of 30, which is really good for businesses. It's highly recommended for the businesses to adjust their workplaces according to the expectations of Millennials in order to provide them a productive and healthy work environment.

Here are few points to consider while designing office space for Millennials-

PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN OFFICE TIMINGS

Most Millennials prefer a flexible work schedule. They respect the work-life balance a lot and feel more productive in an open-ended work hour. Gone are the days when people work mechanically from 9 to 5. This generation is not hesitant in checking and replying work emails after office hours. They are ready to work from home in case of any personal issue. Millennials are ready to interrupt their personal time with work and vice versa.

How this trend is going to affect office spaces?

The employer should give access to their employees during nontraditional work hours. There should be such arrangement so that an employee can start working early morning or can stay till late in the evening. Let them use their own mobile and laptops for official work so that they can do important work from anywhere.  Rate their work based on quality and quantity instead of their availability on the desk.

DOES OPEN OFFICE REALLY WORK?

It’s a common thinking that open office spaces provide more opportunity for collaboration. And it’s quite right too but does it really works for Millennials?

For years now, there has been a push for open floor office plans. The employer thinks that Millennials love collaboration and communication so it’s better to provide them open offices. But open offices are not what they seem. It creates a pressure on employees to look busy when a manager walks in the aisle. Open offices can be distracting for a lot of employees. Sometimes people need privacy to do their work.

So, what is the solution?

There can be specially designed areas for the team collaboration. Bigger companies now started providing a new concept called “Hoteling”. There are different types of work environments for different employees and situations in hoteling. So there are open offices for collaboration and unplanned meetings, and reserved spaces for those who want to work in privacy. Employees can switch from one setup to another depending on the work and situations.

PROVIDE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY IN OFFICE

Millennials are tech savvy people. They are using cell phones and computers since childhood. They are using technology to socialize with others and at the same time to do their work. So technology is not something extra for Millennials it’s a part of life for them.

This new generation is used to fast changing technology and expect everything to be cutting edge. So don’t burden them with older computers and slow internet. Invest in the new devices and technologies. An employer can also implement "Bring your own device" policy at the workplace. It can save money for the organization and please the employees too.

The whole idea of providing cutting edge technology is to make them more productive. Once employees will get the modern devices and software to work on then it will surely help the organization to achieve the long time goals.

INVEST IN SOME AMENITIES FOR EMPLOYEES

It's an obvious fact that happy employees are the most productive employees. In order to achieve organization goals, you have to make sure that your employees are feeling happy about the work and work environment.

How to make your employees happy?

The answer is providing them those amenities which they need during work. Some bigger employers are investing a lot in employee incentives and perks. On-site gym, free transportation, free food, pet cares, and day care for employee's children in offices are becoming the norm these days. But for SMEs, it can be a daunting task to invest so much money.

So, what are the options for the SMEs for making their employees happy?

You have to calculate how much you can spend on your employee’s amenities and work accordingly. At least provide a coffee machine in office so that they don’t have to go outside for a hot cup. It will also make the office collaboration easy for them. Invest in some tutorials and or certifications for your employees. It will give them a boost in their career and they will feel obliged to the organization.

By providing Millennials a little perk you can make sure that your organization will get the shout out on social media. It will help you in getting the right talent for your company. 

CONCLUSION

Every company is different. A single plan can’t fit for all. You have to decide what best works for your organization. The best way to decide is to communicate with your employees. Make a plan about the expenditure, communicate with employees to know about their expectations and implement accordingly. 

If you are looking for an office space then Fortuneprops can help you. Just let us know your requirements; our experienced professionals help you find a perfect office space that suits your budget and expectations.