The key to a successful business is happy employees. What makes employees happy? A good workspace is definitely one factor. According to a 2018 study from National Business Furniture called “Happiness in the Workplace,” employee’s mental well-being and productivity can suffer if their workspace isn’t satisfactory.
For small to medium businesses, the office layout is one of the key aspects of keeping employees engaged and happy. A good office layout gives your employees enough space to move around and enables them to produce quality work in a comfortable environment. It also enhances the overall look and feel of your business space. The folks over at Zircon Interiors have detailed some office layouts for you to try out.
Cellular Office Layout
A cellular office layout keeps your employees in their own cubicles, giving them their own private spaces. It is a classic office layout that allows employees to focus on their work. The best part of this office layout is that you can create cubicles for each team, which will be great for productivity.
Some more pros of this layout are that it fosters autonomous work, improves focus and concentration, and ensures privacy. However, it consumes a lot of space. It also doesn’t particularly encourage verbal communication because of the separate workspaces.
Open Office Layout
An open office layout is great for small to medium businesses as it promotes effective communication and collaboration while being cost-effective. Open offices are cheaper than cellular office spaces since you don’t have to build separate areas for each employee. In an open office, employees have their own separate computer and chair but may have to share a table with other employees, with only a low partition between them.
On the overall, this type of workspace is easy to supervise since each employee isn’t enclosed in their own little cubicle. You can track your employees’ progress more effectively since everything is so open. This layout may even simplify complex operational processes. The downsides to this layout, however, are the potential for distraction and noise. The undivided workspace also reduces an employee’s privacy.
Combination Office Layout
The combination office layout is a combination of the open and cellular types of office layout. This is one of the most versatile office plans available since you can design your office any way that you want – you don’t have to choose between the cellular and open layouts since you can have both.
This layout helps employees focus on their work while also allowing communication within the team. However, it can lead to distraction when people walk past or when some employees talk to each other too loudly. It may also make supervision more difficult, as some employees are partitioned into smaller cubicles while others are not.
As the owner of a small- to medium-sized business, you should opt for an office layout that encourages productivity and communication while also being engaging. Whether you choose an open office, a cellular office, or a combination of both, what matters is that you give your employees a comfortable space where they can complete their assigned tasks and meet their goals within the workday.
