Office Design for Professional Services.
The current office design trend is to modernize the workplace with a minimalist, open concept and custom branded style. Even professional services, such as legal, accounting and financial firms are now embracing the modern style. A modernized office design for professional services offers classic branding, flexible workspaces and privacy that clients have come to expect.
An office design reflects the brand and culture of a business. For law or accounting firms, the design is traditionally classic, professional and practical. When someone seeks to hire a legal or financial advisor, they want to be confident that their privacy is respected, the advice they will be given is of expert quality and that they will be taken seriously.
How do Lawyers, Accountants and Financial Advisors Modernize their Offices?
Here are three considerations before purchasing new office furniture or redesigning the layout of a professional services office:
- The need for privacy
- Professional services took a little longer to adopt the modern office design, but now find it much easier to embrace it.
- Law, accounting and financial firms can now enjoy the benefits of a modern office because office furniture companies are providing a variety of options
- Modern style locked paper management systems and multiple height options of dividers between bench-style cubicles are ways that office furniture has been reinvented to accommodate privacy and information security.
- Classic style lounge furniture is also available for informal meetings and places for staff to go when they need a change of work position.
- For those firms wanting a blend of traditional and modern style, as well as offering a place for discreet meetings with clients, there are quality wood office suites available for private offices.
- High-backed chairs, plush carpets and architectural walls can help control how sounds carry from telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings, which offers privacy in open concept areas.
- Less Collaboration; More Private & Comfortable Meeting Rooms
- Even though accounting and legal firms do not often collaborate in large teams, having some bench style workstations offers the option to use them when they need to work together, or for less private tasks such as administrative work.
- Typically, office design for professional services will include more purpose-built meeting rooms, which will be furnished with comfort in mind.
- Often legal and financial services require services that include extra-long exchanges and are laborious exercises that can take hours to complete
- Clear sight lines across and around large tables, easy-to-adjust lighting and no external noise are all requirements for these professional service firms.
- The increased need for quiet
- Everything about the design of legal and accounting firms has to act as a sound buffer.
- The increased need for quiet is driven by the demands of absolute concentration.
- Lawyers, accountants and their support staff all deal with complex vocabularies, details and requirements.