I’ve worked on corporate workplace projects for most of my career as an Interior Designer and have been exposed to the ever evolving, ever controversial open office plan type. Think 80’s style private offices along the perimeter of the building and closed-off core building spaces with lack of, well, anything to flipping the script with private offices within the CORE of the building and workstations (we say workstations because cubicles just sounds so depressing) along the PERIMETER of the building. Now, I don’t agree that this is a ‘one size fits all’ solution for EVERY business but I do believe (and have seen with my own two eyes) the amazing benefits that come with this office plan type that are not limited to:
1) Cost efficiency. With the workstations now situated along the perimeter of the building, this allows for an increased amount of natural daylight into the space which ultimately will aid in the reduction of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) costs of the building. Also, much less overhead when you’re reducing the number of physical walls and offices;
2) Increased natural daylight = happy employees! We spend 90% of our time indoors therefore, any exposure to daylight, views of nature, outdoors etc. provides amazing benefits to overall employee wellbeing and productivity;
3) Increase in amenity spaces. Statistically, an open office space plan is efficient in the sense that it allows for more of those important spaces like where you get your morning coffee or where you chat with your fav colleagues about last nights hockey game. These spaces (i.e. coffee bars, serverys, lounges etc.) provide a dual function as they also allow for employees to meet formally or informally;
4) Increase in office camaraderie. By bringing the walls down (literally) and the decrease of physical barriers, we’re allowing businesses to better collaborate with their colleagues. This enhances the flow of information and teamwork. More collaboration = business innovation and advancement!
5) Adaptability. An open office plan is not meant to be static! The beauty of this layout is that it can evolve with the business and maximize flexibility. This may include rearranging the overall layout to accommodate employee changes and/or team requirements.
Now I know what you’re thinking. What about the fact that I’m completely exposed, sitting near a loud talker, and have no where to go to make a private call! Well, these are the unfortunate mistakes that have occurred along the way with this spatial evolution. It’s SO important to remember – When one taketh away, one must giveth back. Since we’re literally taking away walls here (and a lot of private offices that employees once had), we have to give back by providing those amazing amenity spaces I touched on above or private ‘telephone rooms’ or ‘one-on-one’ spaces for personal privacy. Other technology, such as sound masking, has been developed to pump white noise into the space to minimize noise concerns. There are also TONS of finish and materials out there that aid in providing better acoustics to open spaces. So, see, it’s not so bad!
Last, but certainly not least, it’s important for the client and their business to be prepared for this great change to their space. This can be achieved through change management strategies that allow employees to become more familiarized with their new environment and how this will affect the way they conduct their business. Conducting office tours before move-in, technology seminars etc. are some change management strategy examples. I also always believe anyone should give themselves at least 6-9 months to adapt to their new environment before any serious concerns or complaints are brought forward (i.e. give it a chance!).
Overall, I must say, the best part of my job is the amazing delight in the client’s eyes when they first walk into their new work environment. It’s so priceless! Being a part of a solution that aids in the improvements and overall strategies of how a business runs is quite rewarding. Give the evolution a chance and delve into all the juicy benefits!
