You might think that open offices are a new concept. But the truth is, the first open office was created in Hamburg during the 1950s. Its purpose was to make communication much easier between employees. If you are not familiar with open offices, then open offices refer to open office layouts with reduced enclosed spaces.
Nowadays, most working areas are adopting this trend. Since it is widely used, it has created a presumption that it works. But does it really work? Here, we are going to explore some of the benefits of having open offices.
Benefits of Having Open Offices
The idea of open offices is to avoid barriers and develop an atmosphere that facilitates work. The following are some of its advantages which could encourage you to make some modifications to your current office configuration.
Improved Interaction and Relationship
Different kinds of people get the chance to learn and collaborate, reducing the tendency of a monotonous flow of work. There is more interaction that can be accomplished in an open office than in a closed office. As a result, team bonding will be created and it will be shown in the work that they do.
Members of the team will get the chance to identify their own strengths so they will be able to segregate the tasks in such a way that the overall effort will be reduced and productivity will be maximized.
Enhanced Collaboration
With open offices, employees with varied job functions work can work side by side, allowing them to learn other things besides their tasks. Startups usually prefer open offices since they can obtain new innovative ideas.
Most offices allow their employees to change seats so that they can get exposed to various functions of the business. As a result, the perspective of the employees will expand, so they can gain more insights into the various business functions.
Flexibility
If there is still some space available, then it will be easier for you to do some expansion if you have an open office since all you need to do is simply set up another desk. In contrast, if you have a closed office, then you need to construct a cubicle.
Affordable to Set Up
Based on the employer’s point of view, it would be much cheaper to purchase 100 standing desks rather than install 100 cubicles. Aside from the expenses for the construction, the available space will be used at its maximum.
The expenses for constructing a cubicle are five times more than the cost of having a workstation. In addition, a cubicle requires more space which could have been utilized for accommodating two employees.
Minimizes Boundaries Between Staff
In an office that uses a hierarchical structure, an appointment is required whenever there is something that you want to discuss with the senior management. However, when you are in an open office, there are no more official boundaries.
Your valuable time will not be wasted since everybody is located in the same area and not in separate offices. Although this benefit does not have a huge effect on the well-being of a company, it could save some frustration.
When employees are working in a closed office, they can easily get exhausted even when accomplishing small tasks which can be accomplished with minimal time and effort.
Centralized Supervision
In an open space, all the employees are located in the same place. This means that it will be easier for the manager or supervisor to communicate with the employees since they are constantly in contact with them. Additionally, it can also help in dealing with any problems faster.
Learning more about an open office is vital. Ultimately, the decision will greatly depend on the nature of the business, values, firm culture, and most of all, your employees.
What Are the Other Alternative Types of Offices?
So, how can you provide your employees with an environment that encourages teamwork and productivity while boosting satisfaction and happiness? There are a lot of other alternatives that you can choose from if you want to have a quieter workplace setting for your employees.
Closed Offices
A closed office, also referred to as a private office layout or an enclosed office, usually has panels and cubicles to obtain privacy and division among workers. You can find a variety of rooms for every department in a closed office design. Employees also have their own separate working space which they can call their own.
If you do not like the chaos and noisiness of an open space office, then this type of office layout is the one for you. It can provide a quiet space so employees can concentrate on their work. Employees could become productive in a more organized setting such as a closed office.
What Are the Advantages of a Closed Office?
If you want your employees to have more privacy, then a closed-office design would be the perfect option for you. The privacy offered by an enclosed space gives employees a sense of security and gets rid of any outside distractions. Also, take note that privacy is important when it comes to the decision-making process. It can also help in boosting the performance of the employees, making them feel more inspired.
Compared to an open office, there is no noise pollution in closed offices. The increased privacy and reduction of noise are ideal for companies that require a distraction-free environment so they can concentrate more. For instance, financial institutions and law firms.
If you are not amenable to the hierarchy and ranking among employees that are found in an open space, then you could choose a closed office where employees have a clearer understanding of their position. This can be very helpful for those workers who work much better than others, especially when there is effective leadership or a mentor. This can be a great motivation for employees to work harder, especially if they want to improve their ranks within their team.
Cellular Offices
The layout of a cellular office is much the same as an open office, however, the space is further divided into smaller, separate spaces. This is the closest alternative to an open office.
With this type of office design, employees are provided with their own personal space, but at the same time, they also have team collaboration. Cellular offices can be separated into completely enclosed cells, by setting up floor-to-ceiling partitions, or half-height partitions. Cellular offices also have some benefits just like closed office plans.
With cellular offices, employees can obtain more ownership over their workspace. It is designed in such a way that employees are given the chance to organize and personalize it when needed. Workers can also show their creativity by decorating their spaces and desks with personal effects to provide them with a sense of positivity and motivation.
It can provide employees with more privacy which can help them feel more secure and comfortable while getting rid of any discomforts and offering a quieter space. Having their own privacy means that workers can be trusted when it comes to managing their own time and workload, making them feel more responsible. This can improve the morale of the employees and allow them to work in a more focused manner.
In cellular offices, employees can have meaningful and productive interactions since they are aware of their personal space. With a quieter working environment, people will be inspired to become quieter and concentrate more on their assigned tasks.
UOffice Executive Suits offers open space offices as well as private offices. For more information, you may call us at (832) 932-5165 or send us an email at info@uofficesuites.com.