What do you think is the perfect office layout?
In many ways, it doesn’t exist. Every single layout has its advantages and disadvantages and it completely depends upon the business and the type of work it conducts.
For one business, the open plan office will be the ideal choice. For another business, contiguous layouts are the right option. For other businesses, working from home is the way forward and employs have to try and identify the best home office layout to move forwards with.
Another office layout we haven’t mentioned is the cellular office layout.
This is quite a popular one but it’s often in place out of necessity, rather than choice.
The cellular office layout is a series of small offices, in which around 2 or 3 employees work in each one.
The upside of this type of office layout is that confidentiality is certainly boosted because fewer employees are working in and walking around the space. The employees working that small space are also likely to be very in tune with one another and can provide cross cover if one goes off sick or is due to go away on annual leave.
The downside is that you’re separating larger teams, so it might affect team spirit and it’s also quite discouraging in terms of collaboration. Energy efficiency-wise, it’s also not the best choice because you have to heat, light, decorate and furnish several different small offices, rather than just one large one. This would obviously be the case if you opted for the open plan office layout.
However, because we like to focus on positivity, let’s look at 5 reasons why cellular offices are a good idea. A few we have already mentioned, but let’s group them together for completeness’ sake.
- Confidentiality is increased - As we have mentioned, a cellular office has far fewer people walking into it and around it which means confidentiality and security is far higher than if you were to choose an open plan design.
- High productivity - Cellular offices are known to be quite productive places because employees usually have everything they need with one place and they can knuckle down and concentrate with far more ease.
- Employees can provide cross cover - Small teams or two or three mean that if one member of staff goes off sick or they’re away on holiday, the others in the office can provide cross cover as they will know each other’s roles by working closely together.
- Fewer distractions - Fewer people certainly means fewer distractions and less noise. As a result, this links in with the productivity point we mentioned earlier.
- Good for employees who are quite introverted - Some employees simply don’t enjoy a large open plan office because they’re introverted and like to keep themselves quiet during the working day. If you have many introverted employees, it’s a good idea to encourage them to collaborate around the modern boardroom tables during team meetings and brainstorming sessions, but this type of office layout gives them a safe haven to return to and therefore be productive and comfortable.
Studies have been conducted into the main features of what could be considered the “perfect office”. Whilst it doesn’t exist completely, the infographic below shows what professionals consider to be a good choice of middle ground. Maybe you could take some elements of this and work them into your new design.
Source - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/engineering-the-perfect-o_n_5234315
Obviously, changing your office design to a cellular layout means that you need to have several small offices already constructed, or you need to be relocating to a building which has this as a feature. You can’t suddenly build several small offices if you have an open plan design already unless you want to totally renovate and change everything.
However, if you are thinking of changing the layout of your space, you need to speak to your employees beforehand and make sure that you’ve asked for their input first. Changing the entire design of an office can upset employees and their morale, so make sure you inform them, keep them up to date, and ask for advice and suggestions before you do anything.