Go back twenty years and cubicles were the norm – if you had an office job, you probably worked in cubicles. Now, more businesses are implementing an open floor workspace. But which is best? Which should you implement for your own business?
Ultimately, there are good and bad points for each solution. Therefore, you’re not likely to find a direct answer online that applies to your business. Instead, you need to weigh up your options and decide which will be best moving forward.
Open Floor Workspace
Often, one of the biggest reasons that business owners choose an open floor design is because it improves communication and makes people feel part of a team. With cubicles, it’s easy to feel isolated because they physically don’t see colleagues. Suddenly, standing up to go and talk to somebody feels like a chore – they’re more likely to send an email or wait until later. An open design encourages communication, creativity, collaboration, and more.
Furthermore, businesses often change seating plans depending on what’s required on a given day. For example, it can be changed so that different groups sit together. No longer is the accounting department kept away from sales, marketing, and others.
On the other hand, open floor workspaces don’t work for everybody. Sometimes, employees don’t enjoy the lack of privacy. Although cubicles have a bad reputation, some teams work better with each individual having their own area. As well as a lack of privacy, an open layout can also increase distraction opportunities. Rather than asking a question and going back to their cubicle, employees are always in sight of each other.
Finally, it’s also important to mention that some people feel uncomfortable with the idea of being watched by supervisors and managers. They may feel a lack of trust and as though they can’t perform their job as strongly.
Cubicles
Even today, cubicles furnished with office desks NZ, still hold value for teams that want privacy and no distractions. If collaboration isn’t required, workers may want their own space. Also, the physical barrier reduces noise and allows employees to get on with their work without distraction.
Let’s not forget, the world is currently in crisis with a global pandemic, and this is another reason to keep people separated with cubicles. Even without a pandemic, cubicles still prevent the spread of germs and could keep more people at work during flu season.
Of course, many of the drawbacks with cubicles are the advantages of an open floor workspace. For example, this includes the decreased communication and collaboration. As well as affecting the business, this also affects the employees because they aren’t reaching their potential. The team isn’t working in harmony and there’s also a mental aspect to consider here – having workers in isolation means very few social interactions and this can damage mental health for some.
Additionally, it’s harder for business leaders to keep an eye on the team and ensure that they’re doing the assigned work. While employees enjoy privacy, the business could lose several hours per week just because managers and supervisors can’t see the workers without actively walking around and monitoring them.
Choosing a Design
As you can see, there are pros and cons to both designs. Ultimately, you need to think about your own business. Creative teams like architecture companies, marketing businesses, and non-profits will benefit from an open layout. On the other hand, businesses like law firms, banks, accounting services, and tax companies may not need the collaboration and an open layout could simply introduce an unnecessary distraction.
Assess what will work for your business and go from there!