What is the Best Office Layout?

Your working environment is important for productivity, privacy and comfort. When deciding on the best office layout configuration for a work environment consider the type of work to be done, the size of your staff, and the space available. The key to planning any workspace is to create a balance between private and public spaces.

Type of Work Performed

The type of work will dictate the office layout. For example, customer service and telemarketing workers require constant phone or computer access as well as enough quiet space to hear calls and respond to inquiries.

Creative teams on the other hand need open spaces so that staff can meet and discuss ideas or test concepts. Low cubical walls let workers communicate without leaving their work spaces. Web designers, project managers, software developers are other professions who often need to collaborate.

Some type of work requires a quieter office layout. Programmers, coders and network administrators may need uninterrupted time to be more productive. High cubicle walls or enclosed offices are best for these workers.

In an open space set up, areas can be set aside for small phone booths where workers can use cell phones without disturbing others. Meeting rooms with doors can be set up to accommodate clients or private meetings.

Size of Space

A space that is too large can be as inefficient as a space that is too small. Workers who have to travel long distances to communicate or perform tasks like copying, filing or answering phones will be less productive. Having needed functions within easy reach promotes an efficient workspace.

Open spaces lend greater creativity to work configurations. The space can be divided into cubicles, common work areas, conference rooms, break rooms and reception areas. Open spaces are more economical because cubicles can be added as needed to fit the space.

Size of Work Stations

Managers, supervisors or team leaders usually require a larger space because of the need to conference with staff. Telephone workers require primarily desk space with access to computers. One central area can be set up for copying, faxing and possibly shipping.

Another area to consider is space for breaks. This can be a simple area to accommodate coffee makers, vending machines or a refrigerator. Having a break room on site saves time that might be wasted going out for snacks or coffee. In addition to convenience, a well-stocked break room adds to morale and promotes camaraderie among staff.

Our Trends for 2015

Hello and welcome to 2015; welcome the the future! Here are our top trends that we think will dominate and steer the way for office design in the coming year.

Eco Offices 
One trend that has been prominent through 2014 has been a growing appetite for environmentally aware workplaces. We think this is a trend that will continue to grow stronger in 2015. This trend works both in the sense that office refits are tending to be more and more environmentally friendly, and through the fact that more and more environmental influences are being incorporated into office interior designs. Workplaces are increasingly looking for ways to make their staff feel connected to the outdoors, and they are achieving this through tactics such as interior water features, natural colour schemes such as green and brown, and decorative patterns that draw on natural influences. This trend is also creating a growing taste for large windows, which provide plenty of natural light while offering views of genuine outdoor spaces.

Minimalism
Many office interiors are trying to simplify their looks, recognising that simple, uncluttered designs are both more relaxing and less distracting. This trend is proceeding in tandem with advances in technology that are helping to make workstations less cluttered, such as increasing wireless connectivity and the growing role of small devices like tablets and smartphones. The march of technology will certainly continue through 2015, and the more general trend for streamlined workspaces with minimal clutter, few items of furniture and a minimalist design is also likely to stay strong. This way, they will hope to not only minimise distractions but provide employees with a neat, modern and generally pleasant working environment. Often, this does involve using some purely decorative features within the office, or choosing decorative versions of practical features such as light fittings, but these will be kept to a select few.

Productivity
Open plan workspaces are simple, easy to build, but not the best solution when it comes to productivity. More and more offices are looking for ways to gear their designs towards optimum output from their workforce, and this is impacting on office interior trends in several key ways. A number of solutions are being employed to help employees remain focussed and free from distractions while also minimising stress, such as booths, acoustic pods and noise-cancellation screens. In 2015, more and more offices are likely to incorporate these and similar measures in order to help individual employees separate themselves from the general bustle of the workplace. This trend is often tied to the growing taste for minimalism, as reducing distractions is a valuable tool in boosting productivity in the workplace.

How to protect your investment through timeless office design

Your office is the heart of your business. It’s where your workforce plan, make deals and accommodate meetings. It’s a place where everyone gathers to share ideas and draw creativity from each other; it’s where your sales are made. With proper investment, your office interior design can help increase profit for your company through increased productivity and staff retention.  A great office design is not one that looks fancy and houses all the latest techs and fashionable furniture. A great office design is one that is timeless. For your business to really see a return on investments in the long haul, opt for a design that is future proof and pick furniture elements that can withstand the test of time and advancing technology.

Getting the most out of your office by implementing a complete re-design is a big decision. It’s easy to fall into trends of other offices, for example; Google’s quirky design and slides. While this may work for some companies, you really need to ask if the same applies to your business image and your staff. It’s best to reach for something that is enduring and elegant. Opting for the classic look isn’t always such a bad thing; classic doesn’t mean boring! Choose a design that will look good 10-15 years from now, as this will not only save you the hassle of refurbishing but the cost of it too.

It’s no secret that one of the main drivers of change is technology. There’s no real way to avoid upgrading your IT systems as tech continues to advance, but when you’ve already taken the necessary steps to future proof the rest of your office; keeping your technology up to date won’t be the money sink it would have been. Birthing a new workplace that houses all the benefits of mobility can often be challenging. However, the latest technologies have provided us with the tools that enable people to choose where and how they work. This can save your business the expense of implementing heavy kit desktop systems.

It’s all about making life easier for you and your workforce. Consider power outlets and poles that have USB ports and docking stations. With the introduction of younger generations into the workplace, a high number of staff will most likely have personal laptops or tablets; it’s easier and cheaper to litter your office with outlets rather than computers!

Building a timeless office requires careful consideration of the inevitable:

• Changes that will occur in the building
• How will the changes impact your business
• The costs of these changes

The whole point of building a timeless office is to minimise change while ensuring that the workplace is still viable in the future, but there are things that will be unavoidable so it’s best to look at all aspects of construction. With the evolving landscape of technology, users’ needs will change over time. Concerns over privacy, lighting, temperature or air quality that are considered acceptable today may be seen as a problem tomorrow. Do some research into other buildings and offices and find out what lasts and what doesn’t. A building may appear fashionable today, but could become unfashionable 10-15 years from now. Having a building and office interior design that is "timeless" will allow for your business to adapt to changes.

No matter how you plan to design your office fit out, always keep in mind the aspirations of your business and how to achieve it through realistic design. As previously mentioned, your business will have its own identity image and, as great as having a tube slide may be; you need to incorporate relevant design that reflects what your business represents.

Key design points

• Well-proportioned and flexible space for workers to circulate
• Adaptable interior elements that will facilitate affordable changes in the future
• Location and building orientation to optimise natural lighting and ventilation
• Easily accessible and flexible storage systems that allows for circulation and ease of use
• Low energy consumption environment and sustainable solutions (paint, argon windows etc)
• Flexible private workspaces as well break-out spaces

In short, it’s all about recognising that for your office to be timeless, cost effective and productive; you don’t need super quirky designs, slides or scooters. All you really need is to aim for the elements that are tried and true, modernise it, and incorporate it in a way that is relevant to your business. 

Four Simple Steps to Improving Productivity in the Office

Productivity and employee happiness are perhaps two of the most important factors to making a successful business. It doesn’t matter if you produce an excellent product or have great customer service, if your workforce isn’t motivated, the firm will fail. Whether you are thinking about having a complete office refurbishment of a simple refresh we think there are four simple steps to improving office productivity.

Improve the layout

When trying to improve productivity, it is worth thinking about how the different departments in your office interact. Sometimes, it is worth reorganising spaces to move these areas closer together or changing how they communicate. When we space plan a new office space we always conduct a survey to find out which departments work more closely together. It’s surprising how often these teams are usually farthest apart. On average workers spends more than four hours each week trying to locate documents, papers, and other materials. Therefore, while investigating how these departments interact, we also do thorough storage audits to evaluate how records are stored and updating filing systems to make them easier to use.

Change the office furniture

Depending on what your company does, staff members might work better in small cubicles, in open plan offices, or even within rooms in teams. However, regardless of these differences, each environment needs adequate furniture to maximise productivity. Good back support and flexible desks with good storage space are essential. Improving office furniture should not just be limited to buying a nicer desk and chair though, upgraded technology can make a big difference.

It is worth thinking about how furniture is positioned within an office, Open plan offices which include chill out zones, gyms and modern breakout areas, are designed to give staff members a reason to stay in the workplace – as well as keep them happy and motivated. Workplaces are quickly becoming more than just locations to do a job, and thinking of them as fun places to be might greatly improve employee productivity.

Improve the lights

Although individuals will obviously not perform well in darkened rooms, choosing the incorrect type of lighting can have negative effects. For example, artificial and dim lights have the potential to cause eye strain and headaches while florescent bulbs could make it difficult for people to focus on their screens. Instead, using as much natural light as possible is a far better solution. Furthermore, having a substantial amount of natural lighting in the office should help cut your electrical bills!

Changing attitudes

Although changing the layout, lighting, and furniture of an office can greatly improve productivity, involving staff members in the decision making process and helping them feel valued can also increase their efficiency. Asking what the staff members would like in their office can greatly improve their attitude towards the company and change in the new environment. Consequently, although the other solutions mentioned above might cost money to implement, this is one measure which won’t cost a penny – but is arguably priceless.

Disappearing Desks - The perfect work / life balance

Amsterdam-based design studio Heldergroen has introduced ‘vanishing desks’ into its office in an effort to encourage employees to maintain a happy work-life balance.

Built by Zecc Architects, the large communal workstations are made from recycled telegraph poles and serve as standard office furniture during the day. However, when the clock strikes 6pm the desks are lifted into the ceiling using a key-operated lifting mechanism and steel ceiling cables, forcing employees to step away from their work.

The cleared office space is then available to be used for other activities, such as networking events, yoga classes or even dance parties! At nights and weekends the space can be also be hired out to others. The rest of the Heldergroen office was designed to be as sustainable as possible, with furniture made from materials scavenged in the neighbourhood.

We think the ethos behind the work-life balance is a hot topic, we believe the culture of working overly long hours has a questioning effect that productivity drops off when employees work too late. We would definitely use our office to hold parties if our desks disappeared.. Poor cleaners!  

Is social media helping us adapt to open plan offices?

It’s no coincidence that these days workplace design mirrors social media. In a fast-paced high-tech world where community seems to be more valued than privacy, the office partitions have come down in the name of collaboration and quick exchange. When we share our daily activities with colleagues through Facebook why would we mind sharing an open plan office with them? We are becoming more accepting of others’ lives and sharing our own with them.

Offices are being designed to offer collaborative work stations with open spaces to create “collision zones” for employees, where conversations get started and ideas get hatched like a social gathering that developed through a status update or a group message. Roll based work areas have become obsolesce as companies envision cross-departmental, even cross-industry alliances. Why have a meeting around a gigantic table when you and a few co-workers can set up shop in a more social environment mirroring our ever developing virtual world.

Redesigning your office space: Five useful tips

Office design is often overlooked by businesses in the UK, yet it can be an integral part of an organisation's success. We at Hi Design believe the layout and design features of an office can affect how employees communicate, how they perform certain functions and their overall happiness. Investing in office design and some carefully-chosen flooring can be a cost-effective outlay if it means your employees are more productive as a result. Here are our five tips for transforming your office space into a more effective working environment.

1. Make full use of the available light and space

Around 90 percent of workers spend most of their working lives indoors, and many of them will be at their desks, several metres away from the nearest window. Natural light can affect the mood and happiness of workers, so it's important not to block it out with unnecessary furniture, plants and blinds. Instead of placing the majority of your workstations in the centre of the office, use areas by windows instead. Avoid using interior walls and cubicles, as they can block light and create a cramped ambience.

2. Incorporate break-out spaces

It's important that communal areas are created in every office in order to deliver different environments for different functions. A break-out space may be somewhere that employees eat lunch, or somewhere meetings take place. Allocate as many areas of your office to break-out space as possible, and set them apart from the rest of the office by using meeting tables, carpets and soft furnishings.

3. Incorporate storage areas without sacrificing space

Nothing can bring an office environment to a standstill like clutter and mess. Dedicate areas for food prep, eating and refrigeration to stop people eating at their desks. Utilise unused areas of your office for the storage of extraneous stationery and supplies, and ensure that there is a dedicated area for the filing of records. If you have the space, it may be worth installing lockers in order that employees have somewhere secure to store their coats, bags and personal possessions. Remember, what look like empty space between two desks to you may may serve as a precious storage area that keeps clutter away from view.

4. Invest in furnishings and decor

It is only natural that you will want to minimise the cost of re-designing your office space. However, it's important to think to the long term when investing in furniture and decor. Paying for inferior carpets, office furniture and wall coverings now may save you money in the short term, but you could find yourself replacing them far more quickly than you expected. There are also matters of staff morale and health to consider. For instance, buying cheap office chairs may result in uncomfortable and demotivated staff - ultimately affecting productivity. It may also result in an increase in sick days because of back pain.

5. Consult your employees

Who better to tell you what is needed in your new office space than the people who spend the most time in it? What may seem like a great design idea on paper may not work in a real working situation, so it's important to solicit feedback from your workers regularly. Can your employees communicate effectively? Does the office have sufficient light? Is moving around the workplace easy? And does the working environment lend itself to concentration and focus? Because your employees spend so much time working in your office space, they are best placed to suggest practical changes for the good of your business.

One of the most important steps you can take when redesigning your office space is to take your time during the planning stages, consult a good interior design agency. There should be a great deal of thought given to the practicalities of your chosen design, and the people who will be in the thick of the office-based action should be given the opportunity to have their say. With some careful planning and consultation, you should be able to create an office that promotes staff motivation and increased productivity.