Source: https://studyclerk.com
When it comes down to it, there are 3 basic office layouts: the open plan, the cubicles and the separate office. Most businesses will choose to have a mixture of the three, but it is worth considering what the pros and cons of each are before settling on what you want.
Whether you are buying or renting, here are a few of the pros and cons of each office layout for you to consider.
Individual Offices
The individual office is still a sign of superiority within a business and often the senior staff will get their own room to work in as a signifier of their status. The main pro is that these members of staff can take phone calls in peace and work quietly on their own. This can also be enhanced quite easily with services in Sound Masking Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston which cover any noise and allow greater privacy.
The downside is that working on your own can be quite lonely for some people. The office may be quieter, but it is disconnected from the rest of the staff. It also means that a quick chat at someone else’s desk will take much longer than really necessary – or may be replaced by impersonal emails and messaging.
Cubicles
The thought of working in a cubicle sends shivers down the spine of many office workers, but there is one advantage. This is the middle ground between the open plan space and the segregated office. With this method, your staff have their own allocated space, but they can also see and hear other members of their team for a quick chat.
The downside is that cubicles make us miserable and can take up a lot of space and often make the room feel very dark. While you could add desk lamps to improve this, natural light is always going to be superior. Cubicles also don’t allow for very much flexibility, which may cause problems for creative teams.
Essentially: only use cubicles if you really have to.
Open Plan
The open plan office is gaining more and more popularity as it is flexible and makes hot desking much easier to manage. Using big tables where staff can set up a laptop (or not) is a great way to make the most of the space you have and let people be a bit more creative with how they work.
The downside with open plan is that it can quickly get quite noisy in a large space. You may also find that if you are using hot desking, people may lose their things or not be able to speak with their team when they need. It seems that they also kill productivity.
Finding a mixture of these types of spaces is the best way to fulfill all the needs of your business in your office. There is no right and wrong way to lay out your space, but now that you know the pros and cons, it will hopefully be a bit easier to figure out what is best for you.
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