Open concept workspaces are the latest trend in office design. Experts have listed its many benefits, including that it:
- Enhances collaboration and trust
- Breaks down department and management barriers
- Reduces emailing and formal meetings by encouraging open discussion
- Helps decisions get made faster
- Encourages physical movement, as people can walk more freely
As beneficial as this type of design may be, organizations are realizing that there needs to be a mix of work-type areas. There should be spaces for collaboration, but also spaces for when privacy is required.
Considerations when designing your office layout
- Business type
- Does your organization regularly discuss highly sensitive information? If so, private spaces are a must.
- Do your employees regularly need to work together? In this case, open concept and collaborative spaces will be of importance.
- Department
- Consider the privacy needs of each individual department.
- For example, a sales department would need more private office spaces, as each employee is regularly on the phone.
- Employee work styles
- It is important to offer options to meet employee’s needs.
- For example, consider whether or not your employees are introverts, extroverts, enjoy being near a window, need silence to complete their tasks, etc.
Planning for privacy at work
- Varied workstation heights
- Give your employees options.
- A bench style work area offers employees the opportunity to communicate freely, while a designated workspace, that has a higher partition, will give more privacy when it is needed.
- Meeting rooms
- Make sure there is a designated space for meetings where confidential information can be discussed.
- Executive offices
- Executives will likely want a blend of open concept and privacy.
- An example of this could be to create an area that has a door, an executive style workstation and storage.
- Quiet areas
- Sometimes these have walls, but sometimes it is just a designated area, that has comfortable chairs, plants and other relaxing attributes.
- These areas are beneficial for people that prefer quiet when working, but also for those that just want a place to unplug, have a coffee and take a break.
Envirotech
Our sales team at Envirotech understands that privacy must be considered in an open concept design. We work closely with our clients to find the right office workstations and chairs to fit their design needs.
Contact our team to find the right blend for your office space.