We are generally doing office layouts wrong! Rarely do we recognise that our office layouts communicate a lot about who we are, what and who we value. As such, offices can have either a motivating or demotivating effect on those who work or visit there. Deloitte have recently published a review into workplace office layouts (click here to read it) which provides some very practical advice and warnings.
Noting that the most recent research into open offices concludes that productivity typically declines, rather than increases, and that there are a range of demotivating outcomes from them, the article notes there pitfalls many companies encounter we=hen redesigning office spaces:
- Making quick decisions or treating workplace transformation as a one-and-done activity.
- Failing to incorporate diverse stakeholder input
- Failing to clearly articulate the features and benefits of new workspaces.
So noting these warnings and pitfalls, the author’s then provider some very helpful guidelines for effective workplace redesign, which are summarised below:
- Prioritise design choices based on the reasons people come into the office.
- Communicate the workplace redesign strategy, plans, and progress.
- Develop an ongoing data collection and measurement strategy.
- Use incentives to encourage trials and build new habits.
The article is very readable, and backed by solid research, and challenges many of the current fads regarding office design. If you are thinking of redesigning your office, you really should be reading this first.