Sometimes apples to apples really isn’t a fair comparison. Case in point: office space.

The most productive use of 20,000 square feet of office space for one company may be counterproductive for another company. Specifying performance metrics that identify the best parameters to inform workplace design and acquisition decisions is an emerging trend this year – because everyone can agree that designing a space in a way shown to most positively impact the workforce makes sense. The challenge is identifying the parameters that work best to inform workplace design and acquisition decisions for your business.

 

Open offices are certainly not the answer for every type of office environment; however, there are many business that can benefit from making the switch from cubicles into an open office space. Some companies are able to forego cubicles and reconfigure their offices into open-concept workspaces that encourage collaboration, bolster creativity and increase workplace morale. If your employees are hidden away in cubicles and you’d like to embrace an open workspace, you’ll probably be relieved to hear that it may be possible to achieve that primarily by reusing what you already have on hand. 

With an office space planning project, practically everything except for the square footage, footprint, and stationary walls and windows is fair game. Office furnishings, accessories, and temporary walls or partitions are at your disposal to bring your vision to life.

Is your office design bland, boring, and uninspired? While a complete office remodel or renovation may not be in your budget, you’d be surprised by how impactful even small, inexpensive updates can be. One of the quickest and easiest ways to spruce up and refresh your space is to introduce pops of bright color in subtle ways. Remember one of the hottest office design trends for 2019 is to add some color to your walls! Even better? Introduce pops of a color that isn’t usually seen around the office … such as Pantone’s 2019 color of the year, living coral.

If you ask employees to describe their ideal workspace, many would probably describe a spacious corner office with sweeping city views, a fully stocked mini-fridge and a cozy sofa ideal for power naps. Except for a fortunate fraction of workers, the reality is nowhere near this ideal. This ideal does serve as a brass ring to motivate employees, though! Most employees work in either an open workspace or a cubicle, and there are pluses and minuses to both setups.

 

 

If you read articles in trade or consumer business magazines (or on our blog, like this one about Open Workspaces vs. Cubicles), you’re probably pretty familiar with the open office concept. Instead of compartmentalizing employees within cubicles, permanent offices, or office crafted of temporary walls, open concept offices are similar to lofts. There are no barriers delineating the square footage that individual employees occupy.

If you’re of a certain age, you remember a time when the only way to make a private call when away from home or the office was to step into a phone booth. Prolific on street corners and in businesses, phone booths allowed you to close the door and have conversations others couldn’t hear and conversations not muffled by ambient noises.

"Going deskless."

This may be an unfamiliar term to you, but it's actually a strategy that many teachers embrace -- for their students and for themselves. In the classroom, going deskless in favor of adopting flexible seating options provides coveted extra floor space -- and the freedom for students to position themselves in a way that is most conducive for them to learn (lying on their stomach on the floor, sitting against a wall, sitting on a balance ball, etc.)

Before you can begin focusing on your office design, relocation, or renovation, you must determine approximately how much total and per-employee square footage you need. The fact that OSHA does not strictly mandate space requirements gives employers more flexibility but also means it’s up to employers to designate space effectively.

By definition, ergonomics is the science of designing and arranging things people use so people and things interact efficiently and safely. When you incorporate ergonomics into your office design, you improve productivity and employee morale. Ergonomic office furniture is designed with extreme attention to detail, which maximizes comfort and makes it easier for employees to carry out their jobs. It’s no secret that Humanscale is a leader in ergonomic office furniture innovation. Here are five of our favorite ergonomic Humanscale office furniture items.