How to Create an Open Office Layout

There was a time when open office layouts were in trend and for decades they are being time to time seen globally. The reason behind their sudden trend was the growing population and booming corporate sector. With the evergrowing advancement. Open Office Layouts are getting back into the business sector with its large spaces and shared tables for better communication.

On the other hand, they are getting back due to global inflation, to save time and money many people prefer them over private office spaces. They also provide a lot more space than the traditional ones and boost the efficiency of employees.

In this article, we will be covering an open office layout and how you can make or create the best open office layout for your working space. What things you should prefer and how you can utilize spaces, we got you covered in this article.

About Open Office Layout

To know how to make an open office layout, it is best to understand what is an open office layout?. Well, the definition is simple, an open office layout has vast space and multiple companies work within that vast space and has a shared office environment. This is commonly seen in startups and tech companies as they do this to motivate their employees to be productive. It is also commonly adopted in the US to encourage and motivate employees to be creative at work.

An Open Office Layout usually has a square or cubicle design and it very well accommodates the hybrid of work especially during and after the Covid-19 period. Employees are encouraged to find a working spot within an open office layout without leaving the premises of the cubicle or square office boundary, Instead, they have to share large tables or workstations with other employees to accommodate multiple other employees. The shared tables might have partitions as well to offer the employees focus and performance.

Steps to Create An Open Office Layout

Designing or creating a working space can get you wondering and confused but it is a manageable process if done with full concentration. There are some tips and tricks to apply when you are thinking to create an open office layout.

We have listed some of the tips that you can follow to create your open office layout without any issues, Here are our top picks,

1. Acknowledge Your Space Requirements

You have to know how much space you will be needing, this depends on what type of niche your company is following in the corporate sector or what type of work your employees will do in that open environment.

This step depends on what type of business it is that you will need the space, suppose you have a company that does animation for many widely known animated movies, You will need a working studio or private meeting room to complete your business tasks. You have to consider the overall flow of work and what your team will be needing in the coming years or months. This will help you in estimating the correct space that you need for your business and for your employees to work. With this, you will have a functioning open office layout that will help your business boom within a short period.

2. Do the Basics

In this step, you have to take care of the basic things such as adding noise control, privacy, security services, etc. An open office layout can be bad due to noise control, privacy, and security issues, as multiple employees share the same workstations.  In some cases, they might have tiny partitions on their workspace to help them focus on their work.  In this case, employees might come across three options, desks with dividers, small partitions, and with high partitions.

Then there are some quiet rooms in which employees can retreat for phone calls or some other more focused work. Other offices include things like privacy pods, sofas, and a few other working options. Lockers are also a common thing in these offices which help store important things without cluttering the office space.  In other cases, rooms like a well-being room, medical room, and private rooms are also added to suit the company’s needs.

3. Offer Diverse Working Setups

Adaptability and scalability are two things that are provided by an open office layout to help owners improve employee retention and satisfaction with their company. You can make it easy by adding furniture that is flexible according to your office’s layout.

You can add adjustable standing desks, and adjustable sofas to fit into a shared space and allow your employees to have better performance. On the other hand, your employees will be able to move and switch freely between sitting and standing.

You can also go for double-standing desks as they make it easy for your employees to work while switching from sitting to standing without facing any inconvenience. Quiet places also help in boosting performance in offices and prevent your employees from developing chronic diseases.

4. Ergonomics are the Best

When it comes to comfort and health in the office, you will always find ergonomic chairs listed as one of the most affected ones for your employees. On the other hand, physical ergonomics is defined as the working environment and its impact on the physiology and anatomy of employees. It helps in preventing serious medical issues such as musculoskeletal disorders and eases discomfort. You can also utilize it for increasing the focus of your employees.

On top of this, you can also find some other ergonomic options such as to monitor arms that allow employees to have their monitors adjusted to their eye level no matter what their height is. Your employees will be safe from developing diseases associated with office spaces such as sitting disease, shoulder pain, neck pain, and curved or nonaligned spine. In this matter, ergonomic furniture helps in reducing all these risks and are available in all shapes and sizes to suit everybody’s need.

5. Add Aesthetics

 Most open office layouts lack aesthetics and have a cubicle appearance to provide a minimalistic appearance for professionals. However, you can always choose the office aesthetics that you want your office to have. You can go for open windows, and different lighting to give it an aesthetically pleasing look or you can also opt for plants. The addition of warm lighting can also elevate the look of your workspace

You can also go for miniature art pieces to place at your desk to give you a pleasant feeling every time you look at them. You can go for adding different paintings on the wall that promotes positivity and motivation or you can always go for adding an aquarium to give your workspace a new look.

Bottom Line

Starting from scratch might be difficult for you however, you can start the process of your open office layout with patience and motivation. Consider choosing quality over quantity and value the opinions of your employees related to the workspace you want t to create for them and you.

For a more hands-on experience, you can always consult experts or people who have designed their open office layout to know more about dos and donts this way you will save a lot of energy and effort.