There are many different types of office layouts, just as there are many different types of agile working environments, and finding the right office system for your particular office is vital for productivity and morale.
A specific type of layout which is becoming quite popular is the cellular office layout.
This particular layout has individual offices which are given to a certain department of the office. For instance, sales will be in one area, payroll will be in another, etc. the means that every employee within that main layout has their own office space, with usually just one or two in each office. Within those offices, you have separate office desking systems.
So, what are the pro's and con's?
Pro's:
- A confidential environment
- Less distractions and easier to concentrate
- Shows the hierarchy of the office visually
- Can be furnished individually, e.g. with a corner desk, a glass office desk in one and not another
- Better for health, e.g. less chance of passing on viruses as less people in the space
- Temperature and lighting can be individually adjusted
- Higher security
Con's:
- Takes up a lot of space within a building
- Can impact on morale, as less interaction across the entire workforce
- Supervision can be an issue
- Seclusion can impact on productivity
- May cause communication issues
- May be more expensive, i.e. you need to purchase more modern office furniture
- An inability to share equipment
What do you think about the cellular office layout? Is it something you would thrive in?