A project management firm's advice for an effective open-office strategy
A Project Management Firm's Advice for an effective open-office strategy
Successful workplaces to harmonize productivity and collaboration
The open-plan office continues to be popular for companies seeking a leaner, more mobile work environment. At the same time, critics cite excessive noise levels and lack of privacy as major concerns for open-plan spaces.
But a new report suggests that successful open-plan offices are all about thoughtful design. In other words, planning every last square foot matters, and companies who want happy, productive employees should think carefully about how their employees will best use the space.
Along with her design team, Stephanie Hamilton, a Senior Project Manager at The Bridge Group, recently completed an open-plan office design for a Silicon Valley medical services company. Here, she shares a few ideas that enable collaboration, concentration, and privacy.
1. Work Lounges
Sit-down work lounges can help organizations optimize their real estate by delivering a high-performance workspace in a more compact footprint.
The design team suggested Steelcase’s Brody WorkLounge seating solution, which provides more privacy in open layouts and incorporates ergonomics for the user into its overall design. However, a Herman Miller product was implemented for the client instead. The team arranged these lounges around the office window’s perimeter so employees could enjoy outdoor views, designate heads-down space and truly focus on their work without interruption.
Consider placing similar solutions around window areas to embrace biophilic design and bring a sense of privacy to employees.
2. Huddle Rooms
During Stephanie’s project, the client’s HR and engineering departments expressed a need for heads-down work, privacy, and the ability to take video conferencing calls in the same space.
Huddle rooms, which hold between two to four people and incorporate video conferencing technology, provided the ideal solution. This setup was especially important for HR, who needed additional privacy frequently to talk about confidential matters.
We recommend introducing a reservation system for these rooms so that employees can sign up in advance to use the video features. Since these spaces are also ideal for holding interviews, consider placing a couple near reception and a few in the middle of an office’s floor plan.
3. Benching Solutions
For benching solutions, the client needed something as modular as possible to fit many different teams, individuals, working styles, and tasks.
Stephanie and her design team recommended Herman Miller’s Canvas Channel workstations for their needs. It's a freestanding structure with height-adjustable desks and clean, simple boundaries between workstations. They also proposed and implemented mobile whiteboards and automated panels to configure workstations around the office.
For your own workspace, consider the different working styles at your company and how these modular benching solutions can accommodate those needs.
4. Phone Booths
One-man phone booths were another invaluable addition to the client’s office when it came to addressing privacy needs. The single phone booths, also from Herman Miller, provided a place for all of the client’s employees to step away from the noise to make private phone calls.
Some offices require larger solutions than a one-person booth can provide. In this case, similar solutions such as One Workplace’s Architectural Solutions, integrate acoustics, air circulation, removable roof panels, and lighting and power sockets into pod-like spaces around the office.
Companies planning open offices should consider some of these options for their designs. And since there are more products and solutions on the market than any Facility Manager could possibly sift through, it can help the process along to have an experienced PM assist you.
Ready to start designing your open office workplace but need guidance on privacy and collaborative work solutions? Reach out today for solutions tailored to your company’s needs.
How to encourage cross-generation collaboration at work
How to encourage cross-generation collaboration at work
Meet the needs of all 5 generations using our handy guide
Familiarizing yourself with what different generations of employees need at work is a great place to start if you’re seeking to improve employee collaboration. But what actionable steps can you take to create workplaces that set every employee up for success?
We’ve outlined four ideas you can use to plan and design spaces that bring diverse groups of workers together.
Create opportunities for spontaneous collaboration
Café-style areas allow for warm community settings that accommodate a wide variety of purposes and create an opportunity to connect for everyone. Kitchen at HGA’s San Jose Office. Photo credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
Most offices have a micro-kitchen or office cafe where folks naturally socialize. However, more facilities are designing spaces specifically for spontaneous interaction, often called in-house social hubs. Think attractive, well-lit break rooms that are easily accessible for several teams and benches in hallways where employees can sit and chat. These spaces are for “accidental collision,” where unplanned dialogues lead to new, creative ideas. Consider providing snacks or beverages in these locations to encourage people to linger.
Design cross-functional spaces
Cross-functional space at LendingHome San Francisco headquarters designed by Studio Blitz. The space serves as a presentation area and work-cafe. Photo credit: Adam Rouse Photography
The trend of nesting coworking spaces inside your office space is one approach to creating cross-functional spaces where different people can meet. Also known as innovation hubs, they double as showcase rooms. Inviting freelancers and other innovators into your space is one way to infuse your employees with a fresh perspective and expose them to diverse ideas. If you aren’t able to build a dedicated co-working space, consider setting up regular events for the community, like a meetup geared towards designers or a happy hour for product managers.
Add connectivity options
Make sure that all new public spaces you design include wifi and easy power access. Power and connectivity must be ubiquitous throughout your facility or office to promote productivity and collaboration. This is especially critical for outdoor spaces, which need to be fully fitted with the right utilities if you want employees to utilize them. Adding outlets along hallways and in other places employees might spontaneously choose to work is another way to encourage random interactions.
Include areas for focused work
A recent survey by Gensler revealed that while employees value collaboration, they also need more private, enclosed spaces. Many companies offer areas like phone booths, huddle rooms, private hubs and semi-private booths. Offices are increasingly desiring communal libraries where employees can go when they need time to focus alone are. Make sure your office offers these spaces so your workers have the opportunity to recharge when they need to.
Designing workspaces where diverse groups of employees can socialize doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Many employees genuinely want to build a relationship with their coworkers, which can quickly lead to the birth of new, innovative ideas. By providing them with spaces for socializing and collaboration, you can foster an enduring workplace community.
Ready to bridge the communication gap between the employee generation gap in your office? Reach out for ideas on how we can help bring everyone together.
Designing a multi-generational workplace? Here's what you need to know
Designing a multi-generational workplace? Here's what you need to know
Why every generation of employee needs something different at work
Employees in America today are more age diverse than ever before. Many older generations, including baby boomers and traditionalists, are staying in the workforce past the typical age of retirement. Meanwhile, the 61 million members of Gen Z are preparing to look for employment in the coming years, and, by 2025, millennials will make up the majority of the workforce.
Planning spaces that accommodate the needs of a diverse group of employees can be challenging, which is why we created this guide detailing what each generation needs from their workspace. Here are the five generations of employees in the workforce today and how you can design spaces to meet their needs and wants.
Traditionalists (1922 - 1945)
Although the youngest members of this generation turn 76 this year, a few members are still in the workforce. None of them grew up with technology, or worked with it for most of their careers, so accommodations may be needed to help them adapt. Many of them remain in senior positions in law, accounting, healthcare, and architecture and engineering, and some have taken administrative roles to keep busy after retirement.
Although this generation may not be working for much longer, their experience growing up after the great depression and World Wars has made them a loyal, hardworking asset. By making changes at the office to meet their needs as they age, they’ll return the favor by staying loyal to your organization.
Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964)
Members of this generation are usually defined as goal-oriented and independent, qualities that have propelled them into upper management positions. They tend to thrive on familiarity and routine, meaning that the changes caused by an office redesign could be disruptive for them.
They grew up in an era when everyone got their own private office (or, at the very least, a private cubicle), but usually enjoy collaborative workspaces.
Gen X (1965 - 1980)
This generation is a mix of folks who are comfortable with technology and folks who are not— they didn’t grow up with it like many millennials did, but they have also had time in the workforce to adapt and learn.
They value the opportunity to work independently (in fact, 41% describe themselves as entrepreneurs) but also appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with generations above and below them. Creating spaces like communal kitchens is a good way to draw them out and allow them to socialize on their own terms.
Generations X also appreciates the work-life balance lifestyle so consider offering telecommuting options for this group.
Gen Y/Millennials (1981 - 1996)
Generation Y is the first generation of “digital natives,” where most members of this generation grew up with a personal computer in their home. As a result, they embrace the use of new technology in the workplace, including features that allow them to work from anywhere like power adapters and wifi in outdoor spaces.
They expect a modern workplace, and are eco-conscious and appreciate biophilic design and sustainable features in the workplace, including opportunities to recycle and compost.
Gen Z (1997 - 2012)
For many designers, Generation Z (or post-millennials) is the most unknowable generation. According to the US Labor Department, they are expected to make up at least 25% of the US workforce by 2020. The youngest members are still relatively new to the workforce, and we’re watching as they demonstrate an increased need for work-life balance and workplace wellness. Incorporate elements like in-house gyms or rock climbing areas so they have options for physical activity throughout the day, and consider integrating objects like sit-stand desks and ergonomic furniture to show you care about this generation’s need to stay well while at work.
Furthermore, members of this generation don’t remember a time before the internet — they’re true digital natives, and feel most at home in a workspace with ample technology. They want to collaborate face-to-face as well as online, so consider using team communication software like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
In addition to wanting virtual workspaces, they also desire opportunities to work more independently and tend to shy away from open office concepts. Help them feel more at home by providing break out rooms and spaces for quiet reflection.