It’s no secret that the workplace has changed dramatically over the last few years, and in many ways for the better. Companies and organizations are more able to navigate a workforce that isn’t always in the office together. And if we’ve learned anything recently, it’s that being agile, adaptable, and thoughtful in your workplace layout and design can make a huge difference in the effectiveness and efficiency of your team. Here are some tips and tricks for staying lean and ahead of the curve.  

Adapt to Survive

Change is inevitable, so work with it, not against it. That means it’s crucial to be willing to adapt and let go of practices and protocols that are slowing you down and revisiting what served its purpose at one time but doesn’t anymore. For instance, maybe the open layout of office desks worked a decade ago, but today they may be causing lower productivity, increased employee frustration, and concern about health safety. People and times change. So must your workplace spaces.  

Easy to Clean, Easy to Keep Clean

Investing in products that are easily cleaned and easy to keep clean goes a long way in ensuring health and safety for everyone who enters the office. This also improves employee morale. A workplace that is set up to minimize the spread of pathogens is already ahead of the curve to better handle ebbs and flows with everything from seasonal illnesses to potential future pandemics. For more info on cleaning your furniture, click here.   

Your People ARE Your Bottom Line

Let’s be honest – most people have been working from home for a while now and aren’t eager to get back to the office. Employers need to step up their game and show that they care about their employees’ well-being. Work-life balance has never been more important. Providing spaces that allow for that is not just important, it’s becoming necessary.  

Breakrooms are a great way to address that balance. Well-stocked and well-designed breakrooms that are appealing, comfortable, and clean give people a place to recharge and reconnect, adding a huge boost to employee morale. Value and invest in your human capital because a company or organization does not exist without it.  

Collaborative and Accommodating Spaces

More and more people are seeking flexible work environments that are also inviting and comfortable. Collaborative platforms and spaces have never been more necessary. This doesn’t mean packing more people into smaller spaces. It means using the space you have efficiently and in a way that provides more resources when needed. Is your space set up in a way that is comfortable while also providing the right and/or necessary amount of privacy and safety? Do people feel connected despite not necessarily working side by side?  

Also, if you are going to keep or create an open design plan, you need to integrate different types of spaces into it that accommodate the changes to employee tasks throughout the day: 

1. Quiet spaces for private phone calls or concentration.
2. Breakout spaces like breakrooms, where employees can relax and connect. 
3. Meeting rooms of various sizes that don’t interfere with day-to-day activities of those located nearby. 

Keep Communication Channels Open

With more and more people working from home, communication can slip, and poor communication is bad for everyone involved. Look at ways you can arrange your workplace that enhances clear communication channels and ensures messages get to where they need to go. The ideal office plan is dynamic enough to ensure it can accommodate change when necessary – each space can take on multiple roles and allow employees the ability to move within them to find what space meets their needs at that particular time. 

Need help figuring out the best way to configure your workplace spaces? Contact us! We can help you with innovative, effective, and thoughtful design ideas to get the most out of the space you have.