How Your Office Layout Changes the Way You Work

If you had to describe the function of your company's office building(s), what would it be? You'd probably respond by saying your office is real estate designed to house your business's physical presence, to facilitate day-to-day work, and to interact with customers.

But if you ask Jon Fredrik Baksaas, the CEO of Norwegian telecom company Telenor, he'll tell you that an office is a communication tool.

This profound shift in thinking about physical workspace can be a catalyst for improved business functioning, especially in industries heavily reliant on knowledge workers. According to emerging ideas about workspace and its correlation to productivity and business community, your office may be one of the most valuable assets you possess—if you use it right.

Setting Up Your Office to Connect People

The way physical spaces are constructed determines how people use them. For instance, a stone pathway through a yard implies that you should follow the path rather than take a possibly more direct route. Most of us are accustomed to following the implied and expressed "rules" of physical spaces, such as walking on the sidewalk instead of the road and sitting at a table for a meeting instead of against the wall.

What are the rules of your physical office telling your employees to do? Are cubicles far apart, making collaboration seem like an afterthought? Are departments broken up into floors on your building, creating barriers to inter-department cooperation?

These questions and more can help your company develop a more efficient office layout—down to where your printers and coffeepots are placed—to encourage creativity and teamwork. Here are a few starting points:

1. See your office space as a tool for productivity, not a static asset
2. Consider how 21st-century work takes place and cater to that
3. Create a workspace that invites collaboration, creativity, and comfort

If you are looking to find out more about office equipment, contact us today!