With the increasingly transformation in the nature of work and the way people work, a more holistic approach is required to replace the traditional open office.

An office is no longer just an address, it has been realized that the power of a workplace is not limited to be just a base for employees to gather and perform their duties. A well-designed office can help improve employee’s performance, solidify the brand’s voice and image, captivate potential contributors and above all, increase the effectiveness of the firm’s profitability. Below are lists of factors that are presented in a research from Nelson to can help you think about ways to improve the environment where you work.

The ten factors that define a workplace’s effectiveness:

  • Work Styles: a shift in how we work, focused more in knowledge-based and group-based.
  • Workforce: a combination of employees and outsourced teams, contractors, freelancers, gig workers and outsourced networks.
  • War for Talent: the first physical impression of a firm to a potential candidate is its office
  • Employee Engagement and Retention: the office ensures employee’s performance and spirit in good condition
  • Premium on Innovation: the first place to adopt and practice break-through within your firm.
  • Technology: how up-to-date and implemented your office’s technology is will spell your success or failure.
  • Culture: functioning as the physical hub, many of organization’s culture artifacts are related to the workplace.
  • Real Estate Cost: not to forget, the cost advantage can enable the firm to allocate improvement to other activities.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability: as the nature of work change, the office will have to evolve along as well.
  • Wellness: health is becoming the definition of happiness and a standard required for workplace’s conditions.

The planning of work activity spaces is determined by two factors: privacy and proximity. These transform into five types of common zones including:

  • Refuge: For focus work among one or two
  • Enclave: For small group interactions among three or four
  • Team Meeting: For teams of five to eight
  • Assembly: Spaces for conferences, lectures, or training
  • Community: Areas for informal socializing, eating, or collaborating

A well-spaced office can deliver cost savings through the following six aspects:

  • Enhanced innovation and communication
  • Improved performance and productivity
  • Recruiting and retaining employees
  • Increased health and wellness
  • Reduction of the company’s carbon footprint
  • Heightened flexibility and adaptation capabilities
Share on