Cubicles are becoming a thing of the past. In recent years, there have been drastic changes in the layout of offices- a direct result of the improvements in technology and industry dynamics. Offices are tearing down the cubicle walls, removing the barriers between employees, professionals and other businesses. Open office spaces have replaced the traditional office, providing a much better working environment for employees.
The added advantage of an open office plan is that they have been shown to increase productivity, but only when it’s designed with productivity in mind.
Greater Networking Opportunities
Networking is one of the keys to a successful business, and good networking revolves around excellent communication. Removing the self-imposed barriers created by cubicles improves communication between colleagues and businesses. Since there are no walls or cubicles, people can ask each other for help, without having to walk farther than a few steps. Consult some design help from a nearby web developer, get coffee with a potential client or business partner, or simply ask someone on the table next to you for a laptop charger. Open spaces lead to more ways and chances to talk to neighboring businesses and entrepreneurs.
More Collaboration, More Creativity
However creative a person is, it is unlikely that they will have every answer to every problem. Before the introduction of open plan offices, many solutions took considerably longer due to individuals working in closed-off cubicles. In an open office environment, innovation and teamwork happen naturally, with conversations and ideas flowing throughout the day. Instead of waiting a few hours to get a reply on email or Slack, you can have a conversation with a colleague just a few feet away. People grow closer and begin to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which in turn increases productivity.
Greater Communication With Management Team
Some CEOs build barriers around themselves, having an office space that restricts access to the rest of the company. In an open office environment, leaders can get a clear impression of the working atmosphere and morale of the staff. From another perspective, if employees have an idea that might improve productivity or sales, they will feel more empowered to bring that idea to the leadership. Open plan offices are also better equipped at integrating the leadership team with the rest of operations, ensuring that the top-level leaders have insight into the work at the ground level, while the rest of the team can see and discuss the overall vision of a project.
Versatile Layout Options
Open offices can be tailored for various events, group activities, guest talks, promotions, and seasonal parties. Since there are only furniture and no walls, chairs and tables can be moved around to make more space or to create rows of seating for audiences. Novel Coworking has hosted happy hours and seasonal parties, gaming nights, wine tasting groups, and book clubs, to name a few. During the day, Novel Coworking hosts frequent Lunch and Learn events, opportunities for industry speakers and experts to present during lunchtime, with catered lunch options from Chipotle, Aloha Poke, Jimmy John’s, Pret A Manger, and more.
A Productive and Relaxing Environment
Old offices and cubicles cut people off and left people feeling isolated and trapped. With an open but busy space, people find greater motivation from being surrounded by other driven entrepreneurs and businesses, all working and collaborating in the open. It can be a lot harder to slack off when there are other people working hard and push you to do the same. That’s not to say the environment is frantic and stressful. An open office space lets you work at your own pace and removes the feeling of boredom and loneliness that some people can sometimes feel working at home. There are exercise stations, standing desks, couches, televisions, and speakers dotted around the spaces so you can find your own spot and work as efficiently as you can.
Here at Novel Coworking, we put a great deal of thought and design into the offices we provide for our clients. Whether our clients are long-term users of a private office, or merely renting the space for a couple of hours, we want to ensure that everything is in place to maximize productivity. All our offices offer excellent wifi facilities, ensuring that guests are able to be productive within seconds of walking in the door. We offer open coworking spaces that encourage networking, collaboration, and creativity, but we also provide quiet areas for those times when you simply want to get your work completed without distraction. With facilities across the country, Novel Coworking provides a virtually unlimited choice of location and facilities to fit your small business and entrepreneurial needs.
Looking for more resources? Visit our comprehensive guide to workplace productivity here.