OfficeSpaceMakati.com
Communication and Office Layout Design
The office layout is one of those little details that most people don’t really dwell on. It seems like a trivial concern compared to the cost of the commercial office space or the maintenance of equipment and employees. More and more people are realizing that office space designs can go a long way towards helping promote productivity and more effective communication between different personnel and departments.
Congregating employees
One interesting detail about human behavior that has been observed is that they feel more comfortable when surrounded by like-minded individuals. This includes people who are employed – they tend to be happier and more productive whenever they are around people with the same interests and skills. An office that keeps members of a single department together promotes this connection, but other adjustments to office layout can help. One common measure is to keep the dividers small. They should be present to maintain a sense of privacy, but smaller ones can help promote communication.
Concentration issues
One of the main problems with very open office space designs is that they can damage people’s concentration. There are a lot more interruptions when there are no walls or dividers, which is why cubicles are still a popular feature of Makati office layout design. The fact is, while fewer physical divisions can promote better communication and collaboration, they can also impede people’s ability to focus on a given task. That factor, combined with the usual stress of a working environment, can slow progress on a project to a crawl.
Common space
The Philippine real estate market is a tough place, and there usually isn’t enough space for little things like common areas. For any business that can afford to set up any sort of easily-accessible common space in their office layout, though, it should be considered. These areas are excellent places for the workers to talk and exchange knowledge that is difficult to share in written form. This not only expands the overall competency of the employees, but also provides a good avenue for talking and building social connections – both of which are crucial to teamwork.
An open office layout is often criticized for being obtrusive to getting anything done, but a certain level of openness can facilitate better teamwork and collaboration. There is no magic formula for determining how high the dividers need to be or how much space to allocate for open areas. Ultimately, the business needs to learn to adjust and find the right combination of factors for its office space designs.
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