Is Your Office Space Outdated?

By Rieva Lesonsky

Does your company still have cubicles for employees? Perhaps you’ve even got some offices—you know, those old-fashioned rooms with doors that actually close. If so, you might want to do some updating when it comes to your office space. MarketWatch recently took a look at the latest trends in office space, and one key word stands out: open.

While businesses and employees typically fear the idea of open-plan office space will mean endless noise and distraction, in reality, the opposite seems to be true. Without walls, ”we have found that, without exception, the noise level goes down,” Matthew J. Fanoe, vice president of real estate for Coca-Cola Refreshments, told MarketWatch.

How can this be? Fanoe explains that while cubicle walls create a false sense of a traditional “office,” encouraging employees to talk loudly, they don’t really block sound. However, in an open floor plan, employees are more aware of those around them and keep their voices down. (If for some reason yours don’t, inexpensive white noise systems can be used to blur the sounds.)

Here are some of the trends MarketWatch found in open plan offices:

• Quiet zones. Some companies have areas where cell phones aren’t allowed, so workers can focus in complete silence.

• Natural light. Open plan floor spaces allow natural light from windows to flood the office. This stimulates and energizes workers and makes them feel more positive.

• Relaxation areas. Areas with tables and vending machines that employees are encouraged to gather whenever they want—not just at lunch—help provide breaks and encourage interaction. Other companies have living-room-like areas.

• Get moving. Some offices use treadmills rigged with laptops, or standing desks, to help employees be more active.

• Hoteling. In the hoteling concept, employees don’t have a designated desk. Instead, they check in to get assigned to a space for the day.

• Think small. The average square footage per employee is now less than 200 square feet in the U.S. and 100 square feet in Europe. Companies are using the space they gain to create more shared space for collaboration.

Indeed, if there’s one overall goal for the new, open office, it’s collaboration. With mobile technology and the growth of remote work, people no longer need to come in to an office to access equipment and technology. When they do come in to the physical space, what’s most important is meeting with others and interacting. As a result, new office designs are putting the priority on collaborative environments that stimulate creativity and innovation.

That’s why, as one expert cited in the story says, the office is here to stay. Even though the way the workplace looks is changing, the need for us to socialize and interact with our co-workers will never change.

Image by Flickr user Ian Lamont (Creative Commons)

This entry was posted on Friday, June 17th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Innovation, Small Business, small business, Workforce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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