Office Designs That Inspire Collaboration
Beyond the open floor plan
By 2017, nearly 70% of US offices had already moved away from the cubicle or private office design to the “open concept” floorplan. Open floor plans make it easier for coworkers to communicate and it’s usually less expensive on an employee-per-square-foot basis.
Companies are at their collaborative best when employees are able to easily share ideas. Here are a few more office design tips beyond the open office concept that help people work together.
Spell It Out
Getting creative with your vertical space is a great way to encourage groupthink. By adding whiteboards or even allowing glass walls and windows to be written on for brainstorming can help your employees brainstorm more effectively. Don’t forget to store markers and other supplies nearby to keep the ideas flowing.
Shared Desks
Instead of just shorter partitions, encourage more interaction with larger desks that accommodate two or more employees. Making these shared desks hoteling spaces (a method of office management in which workers dynamically schedule their use), works especially well if your employees aren’t in the office every single day or if you have a team that needs to work closely together on a particular project.
Techy Communication
It’s common today for some employees to work from home or in an office halfway around the world. So, technology that helps teams talk, share and innovate is key to collaboration. Your office design must put technology first. Everything from power sources, to file-sharing platforms to sophisticated video conferencing tools should be considered.
Double-Trouble
More like double-efficiency. Many employees are multi-focused, and their furniture should be flexible to accommodate their needs. Mixed-use and versatile furniture can be moved depending on the requirement and help foster greater teamwork. Consider creating multi-purpose spaces to inspire nontraditional modes of meeting and help users approach their work more creatively.
Bonus tip: you don’t have to incorporate every collaborative design trend you find. The most important suggestion is that office design should be tailormade. It should focus on what works for you, your employees and your business.