In recent years, there has been a lot of debate on whether an open space style office is the best solution for businesses. It’s actually greatly common for a number of office design professionals to advise their clients to opt for the open space office design due to the popular belief that it increases productivity and encourages employee collaboration. However, the grass is not always greener on the other side and it’s always better to consider all the office design style options before making any fundamental decisions.
Please see below some of the common misconceptions that exist on open space office plans.
Misconception one: open space increases the chances of employee collaboration
Although it’s wonderful to have a mass of office desks situated right next to each other and to maintain the closeness of employees (literally!) with an open plan office, there is still no guarantee that daily employee collaboration will even take place.
As we’re rapidly moving towards a more autonomous business culture, many of us will spend most of our time working independently instead of working together as a team. Realistically, it’s only in brainstorm sessions that employee collaboration will usually take place the most. It therefore becomes highly questionable whether a side-by-side office desking system like the one you get with an open space plan is even worth investing in if this is the case.
Misconception two: open space boosts employee productivity
It is likely for communication levels to increase between staff members with an open plan office but this can lead to numerous distracted workers with staff productivity levels also plummeting.
It can actually become a tricky situation for employers because although increased communication can mean a happier workforce this can still lead to a reduced amount of work being produced, which is certainly not ideal for business owners.
Misconception three: open space office plan saves you a great deal of money
You may think that going for an office style of this type will help you skip buying fancy office furniture like a high-end glass desk and luxury designer office chairs like you would do for individual closed office spaces especially for senior staff members. This isn’t true.
The truth is that you will probably end up buying high volumes of office chairs and office desks for the open style office regardless that it will turn out being just as pricey as the closed office space office design option. So, is it really worth it?
In conclusion:
When it comes to choosing the right office design one should try to mix it up to get the best of all worlds. As has been demonstrated above, there are pros and cons of various office styles so we should essentially try to balance it out in order to get the optimal results for your business. We understand office space planning can be a tricky process and choosing the right office design services can be a major challenge. Regardless of this however, Calibre are here to help at all times, so feel free to get in touch at anytime.
Got a minute?
As most of our focus has been on office workers throughout, why not find out what type of office worker you are by taking the following fun quiz we’ve put together for your entertainment! View below:
http://www.calibre-furniture.co.uk/blog/what-type-of-office-worker-are-you
Have fun!