I’m not a big fan of one size fits all clothing. At 6 ft. 2, it doesn’t work for me now and never has before. I can say the same thing about office furniture. In my 40 plus years of selling office furniture and helping design workspaces, I’ve never sold two exact office layouts. There’s always a slight difference from one space to another since every company is unique. At Alliance Corporate Services, we would never try to sell one size fits all office furniture.
It’s important when re-designing your existing office or moving into a new space, to really think about your company, interaction among employees, and your needs. Cookie cutter workspaces may be less expensive at first, but could cost you functionality and productivity in the long run. So, here are some things to think about when buying new office furniture or re-designing your workspace:
- CORPORATE CULTURE – Before you even start shopping for a reception station, desks, chairs or conference room tables, consider your company’s corporate culture and atmosphere. Does the nature of the job require you to work together as a group? Do people need a cubicle for privacy? Corporations or businesses, like law firms and accounting offices, may require a traditional layout that allows for discussing private client information. My typical client is a 25-person company, requiring mostly private offices, some cubicles, a conference area, a break room and a lunchroom. If your company is on the creative side, you may need a more collaborative work environment. Know your corporate culture before beginning any office makeover.
PERSONALITY TYPES – The type of work you do is important to know when you are re-design a workspace. Narrowing down who works for you could be essential in your office design. If you have employees who work better alone, then make sure you consider this when purchasing office furniture. Do you, as the boss, like to be in the middle of the action? For instance, the President of Intel Corporation sits in a cubicle, rather then in his own office, so he can connect with his employees.
- FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL – When it comes to re-designing your work space, you may want to consider your company’s future growth potential. What does your company’s five or ten year future plan look like? Do you expect to double your workforce? If so, that’s something you will want to discuss with your office furniture specialist. Talk to that expert or an interior designer and convey both your current and future staffing plans.
- PRIVACY VS. COLLABORATION – Once you’ve taken your corporate culture into account, remember to consider having a good ratio of collaborative and private workspaces. If the nature of your work is on the creative side and employees need to talk to each other, then offer plenty of collaborative workspaces. But if the talk is unproductive, you may want to change the layout. For example, I have a client who tried cubicles with low panels, but then found his employees chatting and gossiping all day long. In his next re-design, he asked me to change the layout to include taller cubicle panels. You could also try mid-panel height, which allows for privacy, with a slightly open feel.
Knowing your corporate culture, your employees and implementing a plan for growth is essential in any office re-design. Large companies of 200 employees or more may operate many different departments with different needs; they may want low cubicles for members of the IT department and taller cubicles with overhead shelving for the finance department.
Things change and the needs of a company vary. So just like choosing a tailored suit is the better choice over a one size fits all garment, leave the office re-design to us and avoid a one size fits all approach when it comes to your office furnishings.