Offices were once stuffy and drab places full of partitions, clunky photocopiers and overloaded desks. But as more companies are reviewing their approach to business, 
taking a more collaborative approach, many companies appear to be considering the way their employees work.
When it comes to office design, companies are considering what sort of an environment would inspire their employees and help them to work more effectively.
Bringing down the walls
During the 80s and 90s, desk partitions were all the rage in open offices in a variety of companies. Many companies have been moving away from this cubical-style office space for some time now, but as we approach an era in which more businesses are aiming to enhance creativity and collaboration, the partition walls and cubicles slowly being torn down.
A survey, conducted by Pod Space, found that people were generally critical of partitioning in the office. While 20% of respondents said that they would be more focussed on their work if their office had desk partitioning to eye level, the majority of respondents (40%) wanted to no partitioning, simple separate workspace or desks.
Creating culture
Offices are no longer somewhere to do your nine-to-five job, a blank space to do your work before you head home for the day. More businesses are evolving to create unique offices that create a sense of brand identity in the workplace.
Creating an office that reflects a business’ ideals adds to its personality. What’s more, it goes some way towards creating a positive working environment and, in turn, a real connection with employees. Creating a space where workers feel like they belong helps them to create a bond between them and the company.
Creativity and productivity
The old style cubicle workspaces were not conducive to creative thinking, which is possibly why more companies, particularly those in the more creative industries, are creating open plan offices with access to plenty of natural light and modern furnishings and decoration.
Of course, many companies like to be really innovative with their office design creating recreation areas for their staff. For many employees, however, it’s the little things in the workplace that are enough to boost creativity.
Those taking part in the survey were asked what modern convenience would fuel creative thinking and productivity. Options included a games console, brainstorming area, interactive whiteboard, a shared music system and a coffee machine. The majority of respondents (40%) opted for the coffee machine, with a further 28% choosing a shared music system.
Image courtesy of bPlanet / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
