If you’re a new business owner, one of your biggest tasks is to create the perfect workspace. A place where you and your employees can be productive, collaborate on tasks, and enjoy every day in the office. It should provide a positive, comfortable environment, as well as being scalable to deal with future business growth. It should be impressive to visitors and clients while still allowing your team to feel at home.
There are so many considerations when crafting a workspace, and current trends will probably have an impact on your decision too. It’s very much en vogue for companies to have an open-plan office at the moment, rather than the segregated private cubicles and personal desks of the past. An open office doesn’t feature enclosed walls or private spaces but is a collaborative environment in which people can work flexibly. There are no barriers between workers, and no matter whether you’re the CEO or the new intern, you’ll all share the same space. Hot desking will be the order of the day, and you are likely to find a mix of shared tables, standing desks, sofas, and even beanbags in which employees can work.
The big tech giants like Apple, Facebook, and Google were at the forefront of this trend, and we’re now seeing it in the smallest startups all over the world. But does it work?
If you’re unconvinced about the efficacy of an open plan office, here are some pros and cons to help you make up your mind.
The Pros
- Communication: Sharing workspaces opens up avenues of communication between your workers. The entire office space is tailored towards collaboration, and it makes it much easier for multiple staff members to sit down and bounce ideas off each other or work together on a project.
- Flexibility: When you come into the office, you can sit wherever and with whomever you like. You are not confined to the same spot all day and every day. This adds some variety to your day and will help your mental health astronomically.
- Cost: A flexible office space cuts costs, as you don’t have to buy personal desks or cubicle walls. You are making better use of the space available, and your overheads will be considerably lower.
- Aesthetics: Open plan workspaces look more attractive and modern than the traditional office. They are usually much more colorful with less archaic decor and an abundance of clean, open space.
The Cons
- Lack of privacy: With an open-plan office, a lack of privacy is often the point, as it promotes collaboration. But sometimes you want your own space to yourself, where you can get your head into some work without distractions. Therefore, when creating an open-plan office, it’s a good idea to include private areas for this purpose.
- Germs: This drawback is more relevant than ever as coronavirus spreads across the world. When people are sharing the same desks, chairs, laptops, you increase the risk of germs spreading through the office. Thorough cleaning will be needed at regular intervals.