Perhaps you suspect your current office furniture layout isn’t working as well as it could, or maybe you need to reconfigure the space to make room for new employees. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to carefully review the needs of everyone in your office before you start making plans and purchasing new furniture.

Many workplaces are plagued by the suspicion that the space could be better used, but management may have difficulty finding a place to start. How do you know what needs changing without hard data? One of the simplest ways to solve the conundrum is to simply watch employees throughout normal working days to monitor which rooms and equipment they use and when. You can do this by hiring an outside firm to keep an eye on the workers, but the more cost-effective solution is to do it yourself, and it’s relatively simple in a smaller office. Take stock of cubicles, conference rooms, and common areas every 30 minutes to an hour, and note your findings for a week. Alternatively, you could ask employees to track their own movements for your research. When you examine your results, you should notice which areas are occupied and how often people are using them. With this data in hand, you’ll be able to see if there are places that are underutilized or overcrowded within your office. Does your office need more collaborative workspace? Is there wasted space that you could repurpose, such as an empty office?

When you’re reconfiguring your office, you not only need to know what the issues with your current layout are, but you also need to factor in what you’re aiming for with the new design. With your information, you can determine what your priorities are for the upcoming reconfiguration. For instance, if you’re shifting your office’s focus from individual workspaces to more collaborative areas, you may consider more open office furniture rather than cubicles. On the other hand, if your office revolves around a mobile workforce that darts from meeting to meeting, you may want to consider creating a lounge-like area with comfortable couches. In the case of most offices, the layout should include a variety of workspaces to meet the multitude of tasks most office workers are expected to undertake. For example, your employees might spend the majority of their days crunching numbers or performing other tasks at their computers, making cubicles an obvious choice. Workers might also perform collaborative work, however, which requires a more open space to discuss ideas and hold meetings.

No matter which mix you find to be the most beneficial for your employees, remember that you’ll need to allot enough space for shared equipment, such as storage closets, file cabinets, and printers. You should also plan around the access to electricity, phone lines, and the Internet to ensure your workers can utilize these important services.

In any case, doing your homework before delving into the layout process can help produce the best office layout for your company’s needs.

Charlie O\’Brien is a professional writer specializing in workplace design. His writing focuses on office furniture, workplace layout, and related topics. His work has been featured on multiple office furniture websites.

Charlie O\’Brien is a professional writer specializing in workplace design. His writing focuses on office furniture, workplace layout, and related topics. His work has been featured on multiple office furniture websites. http://www.liquisbusinessinteriors.com/

Author Bio: Charlie O\’Brien is a professional writer specializing in workplace design. His writing focuses on office furniture, workplace layout, and related topics. His work has been featured on multiple office furniture websites.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: office furniture, used office furniture, office layout, office design