A successful business knows that one system doesn’t always work for the duration. Sometimes it’s worth mixing things up a little, trying something new, and aiming for increased productivity as a result.
There are many different desking systems that an office can try, including hot desking and the agile workplace arrangements – as two of the most popular. The difficulty often arises when transitioning from one system to another. Poor planning, unexpected costs, employee resistance, these are all issues which may come to the fore, but by planning things out carefully, shopping around for the best office furniture, and informing employees, involving them in all decisions, you should be able to transition from one to the other with ease.
Your first step is brainstorming. You could create a focus group of multi-disciplinary team members and really get the input across all levels. However you do this, note everything down and decide on which system is best. Once you’ve done that, create a plan on how to begin, including the furniture and trendy office supplies you’re going to need.
It’s vital that you inform your staff but also that you talk to them on a personal level about the changes. This new system is going to affect them more than anyone else and if you want morale to remain high and unaffected at the very least, you need to involve your employees in every step of the way. This includes talking about the office desks you might be considering purchasing, discussing the pros and cons of office partition screens, and finding out if anyone has any views or ideas that might make the whole experience easier.
Put simply, taking your time, involving everyone and not jumping into rash decisions will help you move from one system to another without regretting your decision.
Have you moved from system to system before?