Reasons to remodel your office
The dizzying changes we have witnessed in recent decades are producing great transformations in various fields, to which the world of work is no stranger. The emergence of these new paradigms places business architecture before a great challenge. It is here that many firms see the need to face the remodeling of their offices, but what are the main reasons that drive them?
1. Adapt quickly
For the past few decades, the only constant has been change. Many large companies have disappeared because they have not been able to adapt to the new times. Today, to survive, it is necessary to know how to adapt and constantly review what is done and how it is done, because the cycles are getting shorter and shorter and it is imperative to reinvent yourself over and over again.
The office, as a physical space that acts as a management tool, has the potential to facilitate, promote and even prevent or complicate daily tasks. In this changing world, this area must be able to transform itself over time and to do so in a simple and inexpensive way.
An office design that allows the easy reconfiguration of the work environment will therefore be a key factor for those companies whose business is permanently redefined. It is a trend that seeks to achieve the maximum possible flexibility both in the layout and in the equipment to allow the space, supported by technology, to be reorganized according to the changing needs of the company and its employees.
On the other hand, an interior design conceived to stimulate people’s creativity and favor occasional encounters, informal meetings and teamwork, will also promote the emergence of innovation in organizations and, therefore, their survival.
In this way, the modern workspace is transformed into a meeting point where employees develop projects and meet. Because despite the fact that the physical limits are diluted, the need for collaboration, communication and socialization is in human nature: we need to share to be more creative.
2. Incorporate new ways of working
For years, the workspace has been distributed according to the hierarchies of the employees. The much desired corner office was assigned to the President or General Manager, while the rest of the typologies were distributed in relation to the status of each user within the company.
More and more expensive square meters, the need for greater communication between collaborators to strengthen teamwork and the frequent changes within the office to adapt to an economy that every day poses new paradigms, have made this model a species in extinction.
Activity Based Working (the space based on the activities) is a strategy that gives people the possibility of choosing multiple options of spaces within the office according to the activity they develop at any given time. Far from forcing employees to solve their daily tasks in a single fixed position, this strategy encourages people to use the office spaces that are best suited to the work they are doing.
The idea is that the construction of offices offers spaces with a wide range of options, a set of different spaces to support the diversity of activities that are carried out. In this way, everyone can choose the most appropriate environment for the task at hand (concentration work, scheduled, spontaneous or informal meetings, phone calls, training or rest) instead of working in a single environment, anchored in a desk.
In addition, the workspace should not only meet the basic needs of physical comfort. The interior architecture must also have areas that allow us to regulate personal space and accessibility to others along with spaces for rest and free time; it must be flexible and support the specific tasks of the work team; it must offer variety and environmental richness, and it must provide efficient tools for communication.
This approach brings several benefits: greater employee satisfaction and productivity, the fight against sedentary lifestyle and a reduction in square meters compared to a traditional office with the consequent savings in operating expenses of the company. (Learn more about the new ways of working in this note )
3. Attract and retain talents
The progressive growth of the young generations within the labor market has caused great changes in the way of understanding work. Now it has become clear that new forms of compensation need to be sought so that valued workers feel comfortable in the company and therefore decide to stay with it.
Employees no longer just look for the best salary conditions but also appreciate other characteristics of the company such as its corporate culture, a stimulating work environment, flexible hours or investment in training, in addition to other benefits such as facilities that have the greatest amount of services for the employee.
An innovative office that considers the well-being of its occupants has to support both the physical health and the psychological and emotional well-being of the people. The integration of these dimensions helps to create environments where people feel more committed, are more productive and at the same time can relax, socialize and feel comfortable within a stimulating and attractive space with the consequent increase in productivity.
Aware that the interior design of workspaces has a direct impact on the performance, satisfaction and productivity of people, companies in search of new formulas to retain and attract young talents, multiply the services they provide to your collaborators.
Today’s rest areas have refrigerators, comfortable couches and small tables with chairs, different flavors of coffee, and outdoor areas. Other companies offer a gym, laundry service, buffet lunch and dinner, etc. Mothers can care for their young children in the lactation room and, honoring the multicultural paradigm of 21st century settings, there are also rooms for prayer, yoga and meditation.
Finally, at a time when repetitive work will be increasingly automated, what will determine the success of an organization will be having the best human talent among its ranks. In that sense, the workspace is undoubtedly a powerful weapon of seduction.