The open Office concept is very on trend right now. So, if you are thinking about redesigning your work space, you should definitely rip out some walls and trash your cubicles. Right?

Well, the answer to that question is a solid, “maybe.” There are a lot of advantages to open concepts. Removing a wall or several can encourage collaboration via open workspaces and meeting areas. Also, tearing down walls enables offices to keep up with a mobile workforce as technology increasingly advances without the need for wires.

But, is an open office design right for you? Do your employees value privacy or need quiet areas to concentrate? If so, an active, open office may not be the ideal solution for you.

Photo Credit: Office Snapshot Pinterest

Or, maybe redesign a portion of the office to be open while including some private areas. When it comes to an office redesign, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. What’s right for one company may not fit your needs. In fact, what works for one department within your company many not be what another department needs.

Some businesses are going so far as to provide areas for employees not to work. By delivering spaces for workers to meditate, play a video game, or grab a quick power nap, these companies are allowing employees the opportunity to recharge and regain their creative energy.

So, how do you know what’s best for your company when it comes time to redesign? It all comes down to your company’s Culture and what will be best for it. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect redesign.

Ask Your Employees

Finding out from your employees how they feel about their everyday workplace is one of the best methods to get redesign ideas. There are a couple of ways to go about this. The first is to hold a symposium where you simply ask for their feedback. This approach works best for companies that have established a culture of openness. If that’s not your strength, then the second approach, an anonymous survey, is probably your best bet.

Part of your redesign may be geared toward encouraging employees to feel free to share their opinions. Yes, this is ultimately driven from the C-suite down, but that attitude can be reflected in the design of your office. If your employees feel that their opinions are valued and their needs are being considered in the redesign, they will feel appreciated and happy.

Happy employees are productive employees. According to the international polling organization Gallup, “A staggering 87 percent of employees worldwide are not engaged. Many companies are experiencing a crisis of engagement and aren’t aware of it.” The economic consequences of this are approximately $7 trillion in lost productivity globally. However, according to SnackNation, companies with happy employees outperform their competition by a 20 percent margin.

Careful Office Evaluation

In addition to employee feedback, your office space itself can tell you a lot about how specific areas would benefit from a redesign. Pay careful considerations to every aspect of the office, from the furniture to the layout to the open spaces to the paths to heavily frequented areas (kitchen, supplies, bathrooms, etc.).

Are there areas that are natural bottlenecks? Could you add more activity to your employee’s lives? (Physical activity has a proven positive impact on a person’s mental health, which encourages productivity.) Can you add more greenery and natural lighting? (Adding natural light has been shown to improve employee performance.)

Be sure to include all social spaces in your analysis. These are as important to the workday as someone’s desk.

Photo Credit: Green Office Design – YouTube

What Type of Culture do You Want for the Company?

Different styles of company culture benefit from different office layouts (and remember, these can vary from department to department). Through careful planning of meeting and individual workspaces, you can help ensure your company’s culture by designing toward it.

Clan Culture

A friendly, family-like environment pervades an office with a clan culture. There is a lot of collaboration and teamwork between employees, and supervisors are seen more as mentors than bosses. The values that drive the company are also shared by the employees, and success is measured by clients (and employee) satisfaction.

This type of culture benefits from open, collaborative spaces. Often equipped with comfortable seating and whiteboards or touchscreens, these areas are centrally located around an office to encourage usage. In fact, their location, ease of use, and visibility are essential to their success.

Adhocracy Culture

This work environment thrives on creativity and innovation. Employees are encouraged to take risks (and emulate leadership, who are seen as innovators). Experimenting is rewarded – even when the results are less than hoped for – because it is a stepping stone to success. Every employee is empowered to address problems and creatively solve them. Success is measured through organizational growth and the creation of new products.

This type of culture benefits from unconventional designs. Picture a rumpus room: beanbag chairs, shag rugs on the floor, plants, wooden-spool tables, and warm colors. Often these areas are created by converting places that have been overlooked in the past – nooks and crannies that may have been storage. This homey design also extends to social spaces: coffee bars with fireplaces, game rooms, beer and wine bars, gyms with showers, and more. It’s all about making the office – or places within the office – much more comfortable and laid-back.

Photo Credit: Team Gantt

Market Culture

This is a competitive, goal-oriented environment. Failures are not learning experiences; they are failures. Success is judged by work being done and being done right. It is this focus on winning that motivates the employees, as any misstep would be seen as a blow to the company’s reputation. Leaders have climbed through the ranks and are seen as hard drivers with high expectations. Success is measured in accomplishing goals and the failure of rivals (the metrics are stock price and market share).

This type of culture benefits from dynamic designs. These flexible layouts utilize modular furniture, mobile room dividers, and other lightweight pieces to make it easy to transform the work area as needed. For example, a portion of a collaborative work area can become a private meeting room by wheeling around some moveable wall dividers and bringing in a few whiteboards.

Hierarchy Culture

This is a company that is very formalized and structured. It thrives on having a consistent, predictable output. Employees are hired to do a job – one job – and do it well. It is this sense of organization, of being a well-oiled machine, that keeps the company running. Leaders are managers who oversee the functionality of the employees. Success is measured in the successful completion of assigned tasks with minimal interruptions at the best cost possible.

This type of culture actually benefits from being able to fit the greatest amount of workers in a single area with upper-level management housed in windowed offices along the perimeter of the building. In other words, the traditional cubical set up. For the most part, employees need to only rely on themselves to accomplish their tasks. It’s essentially a production line for people with computers.

An office redesign can go a long way toward ensuring that you achieve the company culture you desire. And we can help. Give The Trade Group a call at 800-343-2005.

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