The open-plan office is totally trendy and in right now. Every important start-up or trendy business has an open-concept workspace. However, what precisely is an open-plan office, and what are its benefits and drawbacks? You can read everything about it right here.
Maybe you’re thinking about having an open floor plan when you open your own business. If so, you should read on without a doubt.
An open-plan office is what?
An open-plan office is a sizable open area where numerous coworkers from the same business come together to work. You spend the entirety of your working hours in the same area without any partitions or other barriers. After describing the history of the open-plan office, we’ll list its benefits and drawbacks for you.
The History Of Open-plan Offices
The German Bürolandschaft is where the office garden originated. This office design concept dates back to 1950. The open-plan office became increasingly popular in Western Europe in 1970. The notion was inspired by democratization, which is the process of enhancing participation in an organization. A garden office would facilitate easier communication among coworkers, increasing participation. They also believed that productivity would increase.
Benefits of open-plan workplaces
A backyard office? For some businesses, it’s music to their ears. Why? Because it is first and foremost very conveniently set up. Everyone and everything you require is present in one location. This fosters a certain laid-back environment. When you have a question, you can simply approach a colleague, but you can also approach any colleague if you’d like to chat. You also notice that there are no set locations; instead, each employee is free to choose their own seat. This makes sure that various departmental types are seated together, allowing you to get to know the entire organization well.
Read How the Design of Your Office Affects Your Business.
Open-plan offices have drawbacks
An open-plan office can be very difficult if you do not have a very strong concentration curve. You can easily become overstimulated because there aren’t any quiet areas with just your team members. The benefits also include the fact that it fosters a laid-back environment, which is good for the overall company culture. But there are drawbacks to that as well. Your focus will be easily broken by colleagues who will arrive abruptly to ask a question.
Additionally, there is typically more noise from all of the coworkers; consider the slamming of chairs or the one coworker who talks on the phone nonstop. All of this may cause you to complete less work overall.
How do you work in an open office?
What can you do, then, to increase output in this open-concept office? There are noise-canceling headphones that can be placed at each desk, but you can also install some noise-canceling fences between workspaces. Alternately, you could motivate every employee by giving them gifts or commissions.
Would you be productive in a garden office?
Learn more from business and read New Office: Essential Supplies You’ll Need.
