a waste of space - how to maximise your office & your bottom line
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0843 216 9698
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A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
There’s no denying that there has been a seismic shift in the way we work in the last few decades ... From those dreaded grey cubicles to open-plan work spaces that promote productivity, innovation and teamwork. In fact, in 1985, it was estimated that just 30% of an individual’s output was dependadependant on group work.
Fast-forward twenty years and that gure had soared to 80%. With this in mind, it’s little wonder why private offices are unoccupied 75% of the time – and, for 60% of the working day, individual workstations are left empty.
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
The need for private offices and dedicated conference rooms is dropping ... Informal collaboration spaces that provide workers with an appropriate environment to work together is taking over – to great effect; businesses introducing modern workspaces into their eenvironment are enjoying boosted productivity and creativity, as well as ramped-up revenue.
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
It appears that the nature of the working landscape is most denitely changing ... But not all businesses are able to keep up. Sure, we can’t all have über-cool working environments and space still needs to be allocated for private work, focused concentration and day-to-day tasks – but that’s not to say that your business couldn’t benet from questioningquestioning the status-quo a little, moving with times, providing your staff with an environment that they need – and seeing your revenue benet in the process…
Take a look at these top tips from VergoUK for easy-to-apply advice that sees you maximising your office space – and your bottom line.
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
Your office is changing…
1. Complex Tasks
Today’s workers tend to have more specialist roles than those of bygone generations. With this in mind, it’s likely that, for more complex tasks, individuals will need to work together to come up with a solution. You wouldn’t expect your IT team to work without a computer – but would you expect them to manage without an appropriate workspace to collaborate?
What you can do about it: Consider upping the ratio of people to desks and using the extra space to create collaboration areas where employees can work together. Speak with a provider that understands your need to still have more traditional work areas but recognises the importance of offering less conventional – but just as critical – hub spots.
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
Your office is changing…
2. Speed and Efficiency
Technology has made us more demanding. We expect results more quickly and require the ability to be ‘on’, whenever – and wherever - necessary. Employees need access to a working environment that allows them to get the job done – and quickly.
What you can do about it: Work with a furniture provider that can help you to identify ‘touch-down’ workstations. These are areas that provide the individualindividual worker – or a small group - with everything they need to complete a task quickly; a desk, access to technology and seating (most likely two seats or a small sofa).
Locate these workstations in areas that are easily accessible to everyone and don’t involve disturbing others. Ask your furniture supplier to work with you on using multi-purpose furniture that doesn’t take up a great deal of space but provides staff with everything they need.
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
Tablets, laptops and smart phones; it appears that work can be done anywhere and everywhere. Buildings are no longer the containers for work; they’re the places for people to work together, collaborate and drive forward ideas and vision.
WWhat you can do about it: Create a space that is inviting and inspirational (work with a designer that understands your need for collaboration and creativity as well as function and practicality). Thanks to digital storage and cloud computing, workers need less physical space for hefty monitors and storage units. With this in mind, opt for smaller workspaces – but more of them - where staff can work together without wasting space.
Your office is changing…
3. Collaboration
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
4. Focus
It’s no surprise that space for deep concentration, individual work and focus will always be a necessity in business. With this in mind, it’s essential to strike a balance with your workplace, recognising the move away from more traditional elements but continuing to provide for the work of key business processes.
WWhat you can do about it: Work with a furniture provider and office design specialist that can combine these two seemingly contradictory ideas, harmoniously creating a space that accommodates the need for both focus and innovation. One way to meet in the middle is to create space for several ‘focus rooms’; areas that people know are specically for work that requires deep concentration but are not assigned to anyone in particular.
Your office is changing…
0843 216 9698
www.vergouk.com
A Waste of Space: How to Maximise Your Office and Your Bottom Line
Recognising that your office and business environment is changing does not mean having to dip into your budgets further; embracing these changes not only offer your staff a better and more productive place to work, they can also save you money.
The combination of shared workstations and multiple collaboration zones makes more of the space that you have whilst offering a broader rrange of working styles. The switch from conventional to collaborative allows you to harvest from the space that you’re already paying for and reinvest in a space that’s aligned with how work is actually getting done. It pays for itself – and then some…
Your office is changing - but your budget doesn’t have to…