Over the last few decades office spaces have undergone an insane amount of changes. We’ve gone from private rooms to hot desks, huddle spaces, and more recently, no desks at all. Each one of these changes has been driven by a push to reduce real estate costs and increase collaboration between employees.

But perhaps the biggest furphy in the history of modern day office planning has been the invention of the open plan office.

Built to encourage collaboration, transparency, and team bonding (while cutting down on office space and cost), open plan offices have been heralded as the lighter, happier and more efficient alternative to private office spaces.

Often featuring minimalist modular workstations with no partitions, pop-up, convertible collaboration spaces and ‘zen’ colours that support warmth rather than rage, the open plan office has been widely accepted into popular culture, architecture and design.

But is it actually an efficient way to work?

A large body of research shows that it isn’t. Open plan offices are noisier, with employees having a harder time concentrating on their work. Collaborative conversations are stifled due to a lack of privacy. One recent study found that employees in open plan offices spend 73 percent less time in face-to-face interactions. In this same Harvard study, email and messaging use shot up by over 67 per cent.

So what should we do about the open plan conundrum?

All too often I see business owners making crucial business decisions based on their bottom line. Very rarely do managers and business owners sit down and analyse the effect of office layouts on workforce satisfaction and productivity. And this poses a huge risk to that precious bottom line! See what I’m getting at here…

I understand that you want to cut costs and ‘simplify’ your office space. There are many and varied ways to do this. Firstly, take into consideration the dynamics of your office. If you are heading down the open plan path, you want to create the right grouping and bring together the right people (for the right reasons).

Think about the personalities in your team, and who needs to collaborate most frequently. Consider carefully the working styles of your employees—some people thrive in collaborative, noisy spaces, while others need solitude in order to focus. Adjust your seating plan and flexible work options accordingly. Tasks requiring intense concentration might be best suited to someone who can work from home a couple of days per week.

Continue to refine your system!

Shift things around when a new employee enters the building if need be. Don’t become complacent. Office planning is one of the most important (and most overlooked) decisions you’ll make as a business owner.

And before you make any great changes, talk to your team and include them in the planning process. This makes them more accountable and much more likely to adjust to the change.

Office planning isn’t about fitting as many people in a tight space as possible. It’s about maximizing productivity in a way that also maximises profits.

Book a free strategy session today and find out more about our office planning, work flow and communications programs.