One of the most-debated topics in the working world is what makes a productive environment. Trends come and go, businesses try out various approaches. And yet, the question continues to be asked, over and over again: What makes for a good office space/workplace?
There’s no one answer, and there’s no short answer. But whether you’re planning an entirely new space, thinking about sprucing up your current one or just evaluating your space for its pros and cons, there are some basic considerations that will provide a framework for moving forward.
- What kind of business are you? Your space and the people who inhabit it have a two-way relationship. Each influences the other pretty significantly.
- How pleasant and comfortable is the space? Old style management didn’t want anyone to get too comfortable. Luckily we know now that people are more productive in spaces they actually want to be in.
- Does the space allow for a reasonable blend of privacy and interaction?
- Is any, most or all of your space customer facing?
- Will this space take you into the future?
Underneath each of these basic questions is a slew of individual decisions that will directly affect the character of the space. Trends in office layouts and workspaces seem to be cyclical. Think about the different kinds of spaces you’ve worked in: Offices, cubes, hard-walled, low-walled, modular workstations, open floor plans—you get the point. How do you know what’s going to give you the functionality you need? How do you know what’s going to help your employees be most productive?
If you’ve found yourself focusing too much on paint and carpeting, you’re not alone. But the reality of a good workspace goes much deeper than that. Inc.com says that making a deliberate investment of time, thought and money in your environment will boost productivity and happiness. And you may be surprised at some of the top determining factors:
- Temperature. A biggie in every office we’ve ever heard of!
- Lighting. Another biggie. There are many more (and better) choices than overhead fluorescents.
- Open & closed spaces. You want your environment to foster collaboration but at the same time, there should be spaces that allow for concentrating, privacy and working independently.
- Flexibility and adaptability. One example: conference rooms that sit empty for 35 need to be repurposed.
- Sustainability. This has evolved to broadly include things like systems that limit energy consumption, bring in more natural light, expand recycling, etc.
- Ergonometric design. Things like chair quality and desk height do matter a lot.
- Technology. Definitely a central factor in office planning.
We would add several other elements to this list:
- Safety/cleanliness. You’d be surprised (or not).
- Lack of clutter.
- White noise vs. music. For us, it ranks right up there with temp and lighting. If you go the music route, type of music becomes a big choice.
- Areas for R&R. OK, so everyone can’t be Google or Nike. But a nice kitchen or lounge area is crucial. And, what about a ping-pong table to help people take breaks and blow off a little steam? Sitting for hours on end without getting up to move around is counterproductive and unhealthy.
- Access and parking.
- Bathrooms. The number of, quality and condition of, and our (non) favorite: whether they are unisex (“gender neutral”).
Different elements are more or less important to different people. But it’s usually the combined effect of a number of these that can make or break someone’s feelings about coming in every day and spending 8, 10 or more hours there.
We can’t necessarily speak to what works best or doesn’t, but as an aside, an article in the Daily Mail found that open-plan work environments may be falling out of favor. According to some experts, open-plan offices are not conducive to much of anything. Among the published results: Research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health found that open-plan offices make employees less productive, less happy and more likely to get sick.
Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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