With so much time being spent in the office, the workspace almost becomes like a second home. The desks and walls around you can be either dreadful and boring or motivating and inspiring. The fact is, the layout of your workspace can have a significant impact on employee wellness, retention, and creativity. So long are the days of towering cubicles where employees feel isolated from one another. Today’s workplace has evolved into more of an open-concept layout to encourage employees to move from space to space and work collaboratively with their peers. Companies can change the entire dynamics of the office with an open seating arrangement that allows teams to be more efficient and productive. Here are a few ways you can implement an open seating arrangement in your office.
Group Departments Together
Rather than walking across the office every time they need to consult with a team member, it is beneficial to group people who are in the same department together. When team members are placed within close proximity to each other, it allows for more open communication. Physical barriers can only make it more difficult to share ideas, so an open seating arrangement increases formal conversation and leads to more ideas and better cooperation.
Create Group Work Spaces
It used to be that each employee had their own desk and that’s where they spent the majority of their day. These days, however, employers are beginning to implement a new office design where employees can work from various workstations as opposed to walled offices or cubicles. There might be a seating area for casual work and informal meetings, a conference room complete with audiovisual equipment for formal meetings, and a small work room that seats a small group but iis free from outside distractions. These alternative work spaces make it possible for team members to collaborate, share ideas, and work together more efficiently.
Create a Level Playing Field
By eliminating individual offices, open seating arrangements place everyone on a level playing field. Everyone is out in plain sight and one’s position is no longer determined by their office space. This can help create a more cohesive environment where employees respect each other as equals and they are more willing to work collaboratively with others, including their superiors.
Enhance Wellness
There is certainly a correlation between open seating and productivity, but open concept offices can also improve the mood and well-being of the employees. Rather than being secluded in a dark office or closed cubicle, open seating creates a much brighter space that exposes natural light, encourages movement, and invites professional conversation. All of these are important components in an employee’s well-being and can influence their mentality.