You've got the right location picked out for your company. Now, it's time to make sure you create the right spatial layout to ensure success. How you plan your office space can affect everything from employee satisfaction to energy costs to productivity, so you want to take the time to ensure that you get everything right.
Here are five tips than can help you plan your office for success:
Think About How Your Employees Work
Rather than just following the latest trends which tend to favor open spaces these days, take the time to consider how your employees work. People whose work involves sensitive or confidential information or that requires more concentration with limited disruptions and distractions may need traditional closed offices. A simple way to evaluate working needs is to send out a survey, asking employees to provide feedback about how often they need privacy or quiet for concentration, how frequently they need to collaborate with other people and what their preferences are.
Create Differing Zones of Privacy
If you do decide that a primarily open floor plan is best for your office building, plan to set up some privacy zones in the building. Section off space to provide places for small groups to gather without disruption and shared privacy offices where one employee can work or place a call as needed.
Plan With Tomorrow in Mind
While you need a space that will meet your immediate needs, you also need one that will continue to suit your company for years to come. How likely are you to begin having employees telecommute in the future? What's the likelihood of your company growing and adding new employees? Will future projects require different working styles? By thinking about your potential future needs as well as your current ones, you can be certain that your space is future proofed.
Consider Your Hardware Requirements
When you're planning the spatial layout for your office, think about what types of equipment that will need to be placed in various locations. Are there enough plugs to accommodate your copier, fax machine and scanners? Will there be enough outlets for every workstation and some spare outlets for recharging laptops and mobile devices? Do you need to have ethernet ports available for wired Internet connections? Do an inventory about what type of ports and outlets are already in place, so you can determine where more plugs may need to be added.
Use the Light Right
When you're dividing up your floor plan, make sure to consider where you're placing windows. It's a waste of good natural light to have a common area with floor-to-ceiling windows and your primary open air working space in the middle of the building away from the natural light. Not only does natural sunlight and a view of the outside world improve employee morale, but it can also decrease your energy costs, as you may be able to turn on fewer lights on sunny days if you use the light right.
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