Ever wondered what makes you more productive at work? Is it the motivation from your peers or the deadline assigned to you by your boss? Well, for many of us, it is the overall working environment. Organisations, these days, are emphasising on innovative office layouts that can help boost employee productivity. As the title suggests, in this blog, we will discuss some modern office layout ideas along with their pros and cons.
Let’s begin.
Some Popular Office Layout Ideas
Let’s take a look at the most popular types of office layouts and weigh the pros and cons of each of the cases separately.
- Open Office Layout
- Co-Working Environment
- Cubicles
- Private Offices
- Team Clusters
Open Office Layout
Open office layout works best for creative agencies and tech companies. An open-plan workspace encourages teamwork and communication. Under the open office layout, the entire floor area is divided by the installation of low partitions with separate or shared workstations.
Pros of Open Office Layout
Budget-Friendly: Open plans acquire less space, ultimately reducing the square footage costs as well as cutting down the amounts spent on separate lighting and air conditioning.
Enhanced Communication Opportunities: Since there are no physical barriers in these office design ideas, communication among staff members becomes super easy. Such collaboration strengthens relationships among co-workers.
Cons of Open Office Layout
Noisy Environment: While an open office layout makes supervision easy, on the downside, such types of office layouts can lead to an unnecessarily noisy environment resulting in distraction because of the undivided workspace.
Privacy Issues: Open office layouts lack privacy. It is one of the biggest disadvantages of workplaces with such office design ideas. Lack of privacy can make people uncomfortable, affecting their productivity.
Coworking Environment
Coworking environment is designed for start-ups, freelancers and small companies based on a tiny workforce. In this plan, you have the opportunity to select your own space according to the requirement. Moreover, if you are an employer, team lead or department head, you can even assign specific workstations to your team members according to their role in a coworking setup.
On a lighter note, for startups and freelancers in the capital city, we have jotted down a list of best coworking spaces in Islamabad, where they can achieve their professional goals.
Pros of Coworking setup
Networking: This particular office layout allows individuals serving in a similar field to interact and helps grow their professional networks. Such office design ideas provide them a relevant platform where they can discuss their assigned projects as well as business ideas with each other.
Economical: Money-saving factors play a major role in the success of coworking office plans. For instance, if you are an aspiring entrepreneur, then you don’t necessarily have to spend hefty amounts to set up a workspace from scratch. Instead, you can opt for a coworking space and begin with their entrepreneurial venture in a well-facilitated working environment with no capital funding.
Cons of Coworking setup
Lack of Privacy: Working in a coworking environment, you will mostly have to sit at a combined workstation that can be used by two or more people at the same time. So, you can never expect absolute privacy in a coworking place.
Data Security: Coworking office layouts usually provide cloud servers and Wi-Fi for internet connectivity. Wired network access, which is usually considered more secure than Wi-Fi networks, may not be available. This can leave your important documents and data prone to hackers
Cubicles
An office layout featuring cubicles makes use of a series of partitions with workstations. Cubicles are easy to modify and allow workers to enjoy the benefits of a private office. Separate cubicles are considered ideal mostly for the call centres. It uses less space when compared to other types of office layouts.
Pros of Cubicles
Fewer Distractions: It is one of the office layout ideas that allow workers to stay more focused on their assigned tasks with little or no distractions which increases their efficiency.
Cons of Cubicles
Hindrance in Communication: Since cubicle is a partitioned workspaces, communication becomes a bit challenging in this small office layout, making it a bit difficult for individuals to work as a team.
Private Offices
Even though a lot of attention is given to shared office layout ideas these days, the significance of private office plans can never be undermined, especially if someone has a very busy schedule. Private offices are usually fully closed workspaces mostly partitioned by glass walls.
Pros of Private Offices
Privacy: It is one of the best office plans for people serving in professional fields where discretion is required. Confidential discussions with clients and business partners can only be carried out in this small office layout, assuring absolute privacy.
Fewer Distractions: It is one of those office layout ideas that work best for individuals who need isolation and complete silence to finish their assigned tasks.
Cons of Private Offices
Counter-productive for teamwork: Of course, working in isolation would never allow you to be a team player. However, if teamwork is a part of your daily routine, then a private office layout might not be a good fit for you.
Team Clusters
Team Clusters, as the name suggests, is one of the best types of office layouts for a big team. It groups individuals into clusters, allowing easy communication and smooth workflow. Creative agencies and IT companies multiple teams, which usually have regular discussions on the floor make use of such office layout ideas.
Pros of Team Clusters
Affordable: Since the Team Clusters layout features multiple shared workstations, it has become one of the most affordable and famous types of office layouts.
Increased Efficiency: Sitting right next to your team members, working on the same project, automatically gives you a sense of motivation. Cluster Workstations layout works best for creating a collaborative working environment.
Cons of Team Clusters
Privacy Concern: In Cluster Workstations layout, the element of privacy is compromised as you will be working on a workstation shared by two or more individuals. So, if your role requires confidentiality, then you should opt for a more private office setup.
This was our pick of the most popular office layout ideas. So, which one of the above-given types of office layouts works best for you? Share your thoughts and feedback with us at blog@zameen.com.
On a side note, along with working in a creative environment, you can also make use of these tips to boost your productivity at work.
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