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Open Offices: A Surprising Breakdown of Pros and Cons

Open Offices: A Surprising Breakdown of Pros and Cons

One of the most important decisions you’ll have to make when setting up your office is whether to have an open space layout or installing modular units or office cubicles. Both choices have pros and cons, so it’s important to think carefully about which is best for your business.

Here, we’ll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open offices so you can decide what’s most suitable for you. In the next days we’ll tackle office cubicles.

OPEN OFFICES – The Advantages

Collaboration and Coordination

Open offices make it easier for your workers to communicate. Without those partition panels separating them, it would be easier for your employees to work on projects or solve problems together.

This type of arrangement makes it easy for managers and supervisors to monitor and manage their teams. They can easily notice if some of their group members are doing their jobs. Also, employees are easier to see and get in touch with.

The manager or supervisor can tell his staff what he wants them to do just by calling them by name. This can be especially helpful in high-stress or fast-paced work environments where it’s important to make decisions and talk to people quickly.

But here’s an update. The use of open office has been here for quite sometime now. There was study done and is now published in Harvard Business Review that those structures, meaning the open offices, “have produced less interaction.”

Cost Savings

You have less costs involve with an open office. The initial cash flow is important especially if your business is just starting out. A single office cubicle would cost between 20,000 Pesos and 25,000 Pesos. Now imagine if you have 50 people working for you. The cost savings from not having to buy or rent as much floor space is significant. With an open office, more workers can work in the same floor area.

A company would also look more modern and up-to-date with an open office plan. Most old offices with closed cubicles are seen as outdated. An open office layout can create a more relaxed and energetic workplace for creativity and new ideas.

Flexibility

Another benefit is flexibility. There are times when the way a business is run is changed. This changes the way information flows, which would directly affect where the staff is seated. Open offices could easily adjust to this. It would be easy to move the gears that belong to them, like bookstands and mobile cabinets. If another group or team comes in, you could add the needed furniture and move the tables and chairs that are already there.

Atmosphere

Now, natural light is something else. Most of the time, cubicles block light from coming in through the windows. Without anything blocking your view, open spaces make you feel like you’re at home. This would make you feel better and help you get more work done.

OPEN OFFICES – The Disadvantages

Privacy

The lack of privacy is a big problem with open offices. People would have difficulty having private conversations with their guests or coworkers. They could be talking hush or the person seated next to her could be distracted from her work. Employees can also find it annoying when their work is interrupted by the noise of their coworkers. This can lead to less work getting done.

Employees may find it hard to keep a healthy balance between work and life in an open office. Without the ability to separate work and personal life, employees may find themselves constantly on call and unable to stop thinking about work, leading to burnout and stress.

Another thing is that employees would have a hard time doing business on their own, like calling clients or bosses, if there were no walls between them.

You may not be convinced that the abovementioned things are not entirely convincing against open offices. But if your company is involved with handling confidential information, Then reconsider. If you are in the healthcare business, finance, consulting, or law, then the open office may not be suited for you.

Because there isn’t enough privacy, security can be broken, which puts the organization at risk. Imagine having a business conversation with your client about investments, court cases, or competitors. These things are very private, so you wouldn’t talk about them in openly where people could listen in.

Work Environment

The lack of control over the space is another big problem with open offices. Most office workers care a lot about air conditioning and the temperature of the office. Some people like it somewhat warm and not too cold. Some people are fine with 17°C, but most are not. If your boss likes it to be 17 degrees, then have your jacket ready.

The light is something else. Some jobs need a lot of light, while others only need a little.  In an open office type, you only have centralized overhead lights. Even though you can have your own table lamp, it will just add more stuff to your already limited workspace.

Spread of Diseases

The spread of diseases is one of the most important things that businesses worry about today. The cost of health care is going up, the number of sick leaves taken by employees are going up, and the government are making rules about social distancing and other hygiene requirements stricter.

We’ll talk about the pros and cons of office cubicles in the next post. At WORKZONE, we have furniture for any kind of office, whether it’s an open or a cubicle type. Inquire at wo***************@***il.com

Office Layout and Floor Plan for Your Business

With the growth of call centers all over the Philippines, there has been a deluge of orders and inquiries coming from our clients. Questions about the office layout, the make of the office cubicles, the sizes, the materials, and a host of others.

Among these, I’ve figured out the most common questions:

1.What is the size of a standard office cubicle?
2. What are some good office layouts?
3.What are the types of cubicles available?
4.What kind of office furniture is best for cubicles?

And here are our responses to these queries:

What is the size of a standard office cubicle?

Clients usually know what sizes they want before they come to us. They only want to check that they are correct.

Well, Managers, Supervisors, and Staff have different cubicle sizes. Managers typically have it at 8 ft by 8 ft (240 cm x 240 cm) closed cubicle with doors. Supervisors have it at 6 ft by 6 ft (180 cm x 180 cm) open cubicles and a passageway of about 2 ft (70 cm).

The staff are usually clustered, meaning they are grouped together. By fours, by six, and by tens. Some have the clusters at twelve if the office space is large. The staff are normally grouped this way. This is done to maximize office space. There are some limitations though set by the Building Code of the Philippines.

Now, clustering by fours means that two persons are facing each other. Clustering by six means that three persons are facing each other in the cubes. By tens, means five facing each other.

What are some good office layouts?

The office setup is one of the most important aspects of a call center’s success. It is not just the physical layout of the office that is important, but also how the cubicles are configured or arranged.

However, other places and areas must be considered in addition to cubicles when creating your office layout. All of these factors contribute significantly to the success of a call center.

• Reception area

This is the first stop for visitors to the company. In a large workplace, this space is fully equipped for the visitors’ comfort.

There’s the 3-seater sofa, the single seater, the center table, and the side tables. If many visitors are expected, then gang chairs would be most preferable.

For gang chairs, there’s 3-seater, 4-seater and 5-seater gang chairs. They could accommodate so many persons per square meter of your office floor.

Sizes of reception counters could vary. For small offices, the reception is manned by single personnel.

The width of the counter would range from 120 cm to 140 cm. Other medium-sized enterprises have counters up to 300 cm wide, manned by three office workers.

The firm logo is also displayed in the welcome area. Large or bright colored logos are the first signs that you’ll notice upon entry.

• Visitor’s area

This is now more common in new office set-ups. Because of the pandemic, visitors are allowed entry up to this area only. Unless you’ve gone through these so many procedures like temperature check, vaccine cards, etc you’ll remain in the visitor’s area.

The visitor’s area is a new cubicle designed specifically for visitors, delivery men, and the like. Inside this space are round tables, visitor’s chairs, cabinets and maybe some planter’s boxes. Because they take up less room, round tables are favored. A simple 90 cm diameter table would sit four persons. Two or three round tables would be fine in a 4×4 meter area.

• Rest area

This is where employees can unwind, chit-chats with colleagues about their day, and if necessary, rest for a while if the day has been particularly stressful. A 3-seater sofa with movable chairs would suffice. Side tables and a center table could also be included.

• Pantry

– Very useful here so that your staff will no longer get out of the office during breaks. Pantry tables and chairs if space permits. But usually, the space is just a place to prepare coffee and sandwiches or what have you snacks. This could be large enough to fit your refrigerator, water dispenser, small coffee table and other things needed for the pantry.

• Manager’s office

This is where the managers have their own private room for meetings. This room almost always has the comfort you would always desire. large table, executive chair, cabinets and many others. Client meetings are usually held here and if the room is big enough other participants could hop in. It depends on the occupant of this room if he wants more furniture inside his cube. Some would have sofas, center table, plant boxes, coffee table, a couple of good looking visitor’s chair.

• Conference room

Weekly employee meetings are done here. Usually involving only, the managers and supervisors. Most large companies have 12-seater conference tables. Medium size businesses have it at 6-seater or 8-seater tables. Conference chairs are usually high end, meaning more expensive than your regular office chairs.

Partition panels that enclose the conference room have typically the same height as the ceiling. This is referred to as floor to ceiling panels by contractors. The average ceiling height is 240 cm. Because of its enclosure, this room has its own air conditioner. Throughout the area, sound-proof panels are used.

What are the types of cubicles available?

There are basically two types of cubicles, the four-wall cubicles and open-wall cubicles.

Four-walled cubicles provide more seclusion than open-wall cubicles. The panels of these cubicles are 150 cm or greater in height. Supervisors are typically assigned to these types of cubicles.

The open-wall cubicles are not as high. They allow more people to see the occupants of the cubicle.
The panels are 135 cm and below. The most common height however is 120 cm. It’s about your eye level once your seated.

These cubicles only include a table and a bottom cabinet for storage space. This cabinet is called mobile pedestal. If your company’s design is particularly lavish, you may have wider tables, like 150 cm wide.

What are some office furniture that you would include in these cubicles?

First, the office desks. Managers have wider desks at 180 cm with a depth of 70 or 80 cm. Many would need a side cabinet of a side table.

In addition to the side cabinet, which is usually open, there is a mobile pedestal for important papers. For even larger files, lateral cabinets may be required.

One or two visitor’s chairs may be required. If the cubicle is large enough, then a 2-seater or 3-seater sofa would add comfort to the visitors.

Seven Things YOU Should Consider in Your Office Furniture

Choose Office Furniture According

Putting together an office used to be pretty straightforward. Count your staff, buy your tables and throw in a dozen wooden chairs and maybe a sofa for your visitors. No one needs an interior designer or an architect for the job.

That was the Dino days. When times seem to be just on the crawl. But you are not hiding under the rock. You are in the midst of times and seasons where change happens as quickly as a blink of an eye.

Buyers have changed, suppliers have changed, logistics have changed and other what have yous related to your business.

Now, you may be pondering on setting up an office for your business. You may be drawing advice from your friends and still could not get your decision.

Well, Workzone provides help for you.

As you know the furniture in your house is worlds apart from what should be in your office. It’s ridiculous to prop up luxury seating in your employee’s workstations, and there’s just no sense in choosing fixtures that are needlessly sophisticated.

Your goal when choosing office furniture in the Philippines is to select which fixtures contribute to your business environment in terms of use and design. Choosing your office furniture is not something that you can decide recklessly.

When it comes to choosing the best office fixtures, there are seven things you need to remember: color, material, theme, ergonomics, use, price, and versatility.

Now continue your scanning below as I describe these seven things and the first which you should pick first is:

To the Color

Some think color plays a little role in your decision. But the truth of the matter is, color is one of the most important aspects of creating your workplace. When played well, it can evoke specific moods and feelings that would otherwise not have been present with mere white furniture.

Wouldn’t it be wise to take advantage of the color’s power to increase your office productivity? You choose cool colors like blue or green to calm your employees or go with warm colors like red or yellow to energize them.

If you have a small office, the color of your furniture can make it look larger. Choose dark-colored furniture for your office to make space appear wider, or choose light-colored paints on your walls to create the illusion of vast space.

There is this office, a complaints department office. The whole room and its furniture are of the color pink. Yes, pink. Not only the walls but also the floor, the tables, and the chairs. And yes you guess right the staff uniform is pink.

The moment a visitor opens the door, his mood instantly changes, I mean instantly.

Remember, this is a complaints office, where every visitor you would expect to be almost exploding in rage over their various grievances.

The color pink eases feelings like resentment, anger, rage, and other confrontational emotions. But that is just for that company. There are also downsides in too overwhelming color schemes. Strike a balance.

And Material

Furniture comes in a variety of different materials. You have wooden tables, plastic chairs, metal desks, a combination of wood, fabric, and glass in office partitions. So many. Always remember that material plays a huge part in telling how long your furniture will last.

Plastic tends to chip away and easily get scratches, but they’re very sturdy, lightweight, easy-to-move around, and yes cheap as well. One material to consider if cost-conscious.

Wood is beautiful when used in offices, but varnish can wear away with constant use. Solid wood is also hard to find these days. And not only that its price may be higher.

Metal chairs or tables are incredibly durable, but they’re very hard to carry or move around. But lately, the trend pioneered by Starbucks resurrected the industrial type of furniture. You have this solid wood tabletop with metal frames and legs.

Matches Your Theme

Your office’s theme meshes all the separate elements in it. What theme have you chosen for your office? Are you going with modern design or traditional design?

Modern themed offices need modern furniture as well. Look for minimalist furniture with simple designs, or go with modern egg chairs, glass tables, and lots of lighting.

Traditional themed offices need furniture of traditional taste. If you have a traditional office, use wood sparingly, or use antique decorations and precious pieces to boost company morale.

Always remember that everything should follow the theme of your workplace in order to create a design that is harmonious, which equates to a work environment that’s pleasant as well.

And Staff Health

If there’s only one thing that you should focus on when choosing your furniture, it should be ergonomics. Ergonomic office furniture are fixtures that are specifically created to provide optimum comfort and the least amount of injury.

Repetitive tasks such as typing and sitting on an office chair can injure an employee if the chair, he or she is sitting on is not ergonomic.

Choose office seating that will be easy on the backs of your employees, and make sure that their computers or desks are propped in the height that would put the least amount of stress on their necks and on their backs.

The Occupational Safety Health Administration provides free training to people who wish to know how to set up their offices the right way.

With the wrong choice of furniture, the health of your employees is at stake. Choose office furniture that will provide the most comfort for your employees. Always remember: the more your employees are comfortable and happy with their workspaces, the more productive they become.

And Comfort to Employees

One thing that you should always remember when choosing office furniture is that comfort beats style. It doesn’t matter how unbelievably beautiful your furniture if people using these are agonizing then it’s a goner.

Seats made of metal or plastic might look dashing on your modern office but ask yourself a question: Are you willing to sit on that for eight hours a day?
Remember, don’t neglect comfort in your decision. Don’t buy furniture sets just because it looks good or it goes well with your office. Comfort should always be considered.

And Versatility

An office frequently expands to keep up with company growth. For this reason, it is extremely important that your choice not only fits your now needs but also tomorrow’s needs.

There is multi-purpose furniture available these days that you can purchase. There are large-filing cabinets that double as workstations or footstools that can open up to reveal storage boxes.

Multi-purpose furniture will benefit your workplace in the long run. As your company grows, your furniture should fit its needs as well.

But Price Influences

Most of the time it is price that influences. Yes, we’ve met clients who are very meticulous on the specs, very strict on the material and other things but eventually would make their decisions based on the lowest price.

They have their reasons. Office furniture can very expensive, especially when you’re purchasing things individually. To get a cut on price, you might want to purchase your office furniture in bulk.

Make it a point to do your investigation. Browse on couches, desk chairs, office chairs, and tables at chain stores like IKEA, Target, K-Mart, or Wal-Mart, but always make sure to compare prices and the quality of items that you plan to purchase. Avoid purchasing office furniture just because they are cheap.

Think of how long the furniture will last and how long it will take you to have to replace them. Sometimes, purchasing furniture from brand names can have its advantages. Brand name companies sell some of the most top-quality furniture you will ever find.

OK. Just Pick What YOU Value

Pick from among these parameters. Some factors might not match together. Rank them according to your preference.

What Business Are You In?

What business are you in? Sounds like the professor’s question in a business strategy class when the students are formulating and configuring their SWOT analysis. But yes, the same question should be asked when deciding what type or sort of office furniture should you chose.

The image of your office is very important.

I once visited an office of a lawyer who requested a quotation for some office cubicles. After some measurements of his office space and rooms, I suggested that he also get some file cabinets since I noticed stacks and stacks of papers mounted on each of his associate’s tables.

He thankfully declined and said: “Oh, those mountains of papers have a purpose. They’re there for the clients to see and appreciate that we are a busy law firm.”

Are you into the creative business?

Is your business into advertising, marketing, publishing, or production? If so, show it by your taste in office furniture. It must exude creativity and would ignite your employees to work with intense vigor and attract clients to do business with you.

I’ve done business with advertising agencies and yes most of their fixtures, from office chairs, conference tables and partitions are a bit colorful. It need not be expensive; it just has to be innovative.

Some of your clients may notice your inventiveness by the way you arrange your cubicles and the colors you chose. You just don’t know, it could be a deciding factor for the client in choosing your firm.

Are you into the finance business?

If your business is related to finance and banking, the overall image must be formal. Money matters and you mean business. Show it. Stability, firmness must be manifested in your office furniture.

Look at the office cubicles of the banks, the big big banks in particular. They are not the two-dollar suitcase type. Expensive? Most likely. But who gives a heck when you are dealing with millions with your clients.

Creating a Cozy Office Space

Choosing office furniture is like designing one’s own house. Since the employees would wound up spending most of their waking time in the office, a significant amount of effort and planning should be spent once you decide to get your office furniture.

Colors

You could start up with the color combination. Your office cubicles and partitions should be pleasant to the eye. The pale hues of yellow, green, and blue, and also white or gray, are great color. Neon colors are a big no-no especially if the employees need to sit around all day working in front of their computers within the cubicles.

Designs

As for the tables and desks, the designs need not be extravagant. They just have to be simple yet formal, maintaining that relaxed but functional feel out of your office. Some jobs require a lot of paperwork like the legal and accounting work, so wider and longer office tables are required.

As for the chairs, the widely used ones are the ergonomic office chairs. These provide not only comfort but also less stress and injury to the users. Our 41-2 and 40-2 models provide both comfort and luxury.

Meanwhile, cabinets should suit the needs of your workplace. There are cabinets that have sliding doors and many others have multiple drawers and shelves. Some BPO companies require 18 door cabinets and 15 door (our models have KS-18D and KS15D).

Functionality, security, and elegance should be kept in mind when choosing office furniture. Employees may treat the office like it’s a second home, and not only that, clients may get a lasting impression out of it. Choose wisely and carefully!