All work and no play indeed would make an office workspace a dull place to work in. Today the information age has paved the way for new technologies, leading to a wider distribution of work and increased mobility to work from anywhere. So then why is it that coming together as a collaborative team is still a very important factor and is leading some industry giants like Google and Facebook to hire celebrity architects for renovating their office space? That is because co-creation has become the dominant factor when innovating something different and creative.
Businesses today try to lay more emphasis on collaboration in order to drive better innovation and increased production. Entrepreneurs try to build up a place where people having different skills, knowledge and experience come together to build a collaborative whole. Hence, building your office space to best complement the work structure of your employees matters a lot today than what it was previous. But the best office space can be the one that can best compliment both the cultures of working together and being apart.
Here’s why –
- The importance of working collaboratively
Collaboration leads to high scale performance and delivery. Great ideas should be executed faster and perhaps this is why man needs advanced technology and a common space where everyone can come together and work as a team. Of course, faster delivery and proper implementation of ideas and strategies become possible with the coexistence bond and trust among each other, and this is what makes innovation successful.
- The importance of being apart
Individuality brings more control and choice of thoughts. In some cases, this is important before all the heads can come together and begin joining the dots to great innovation. And for that matter, different kinds of works are sometimes best done by an individual when in different work settings. Creativity is something that should be spontaneous they say, but then, serendipity is not something that you are going to get amidst an environment full of cacophony.
Entrepreneurs may today look forward to hiring more talented people than ever and surround themselves with people who can bring on board unlimited creativity. But the point is, it just does not help to build up the work culture you desire. Besides, why would someone desire to work in an office that simply does not inspire them or bring motivation to their work? Employees are just as demanding as you are, and the best ones are always on the lookout to associate themselves with office environments that look desirable and are highly effective.
Building Up Office Personality Matters
An office space is not just about being comfortable and spacious. While both are essential for enhancing employee productivity, nevertheless, setting up office cubicles Irvine CA, chairs and desks should be based on your office personality. What type of office is yours? Is it fun and interesting? Or does it have to be a little bit serious?
Whatever your business calls for, make sure that your workspace architectural layout plan draws emphasis on factors like concentration, collaboration, socialization and creation. This helps to build up an open environment that gives people more choice and control over their work process, while simultaneously helping to maintain the serendipity they need, to avoid bumping into each other.
Every great work needs some inspiration and to begin planning your own office space, here is a look at how the big giants have gone creative with their office interior designs –
#1 – Google
There are innumerable reasons to envy Google employees and their work environment. While most offices have their employees spend their office hours hunching over and working in box cubicles and under harsh fluorescent lights, Google employees have something to gloat about their office awesomeness. And why not, when they can get to zoom through their workspace on scooters, slip down from one office floor to another in spiraling slides and even grow vegetables in their personal office garden. As interesting and unconventional as it sounds, the architectural designs help to serve the purpose of bringing together creative people as well as engineers, to generate better ideas, trigger maximum creativity and at the same time ensure happiness to clients
#2 – Facebook
One of Facebook’s motto talks about bringing “your authentic self to work“. The Manhattan headquarter tries to keep its staff upbeat by providing amenities like the ping pong table and a basketball arcade game in the dining area, a per-person budget for hacking and designing their individual office space and vending machines for dispensing office supplies. But Manhattan is not alone since Facebook is known for delivering some of its most impressive office spaces all over the world. The Facebook office in California is known for providing a fantastic work environment with big spaces for work, relaxation and even a separate place to skate and dance. Pretty impressive indeed!Need we say more?
#3 – AOL
The company seems to have taken out a leaf from Google’s book in their attempt to get rid of the blank corporate facade look and replace it with designs that are fun, fresh and inspiring. Their office space includes everything that one can expect – from big internet companies such as bright color splashes, large kitchens, game rooms, pool tables and creative working places.
#4 – Selgas Cano
Size remains irrelevant when we look into the interior decoration of Selgas Cano office. Located in the middle of the forest, the office is placed partly underground and partly above the ground as the employees can enjoy a great view into the woods while working. Designed by Iwan Baan, the office space has a light and airy architecture, clean lines with colorful details and a more relaxed environment close to nature with big empty rooms and harsh lighting system.
#5 – Zappos
This popular online shoe retailer has largely stuck to the cubicle office design. However, they encourage their staff and give them the freedom to go ahead and decorate individual spaces as they wish to. That means each cubicle has its own specialized design and some of them come decked with toys and trinkets hanging around. This makes the office space more enjoyable and less sterile. Office employees can even contribute individual ideas and opinions when it comes to designing the conference room. What’s more! The office also offers a short trip to outsiders who wish to take a short round to learn about the company.
Work Space Still Matters!
And hence you should be also concerned about the interior design of your office that can leave an impact on the behavior and thinking of the people around. Not all offices spaces can turn out to be the same and while some designs may affect the morale of the workers thus leading to reduced productivity, others can inspire people and motivate them to become more creative. Whether you decide on an open floor plan or a more private one, make sure your layout design is as supporting and empowering as possible in building up the right work culture for greater productivity.
Author Bio: Jessica Parker is an interior designer and a guest columnist for some of the top interior design magazines. She likes to experiment a lot with spaces and home and office are some of the key places where she devotes her attention the most.