Designing the Agile Workplace

All over the world, organizations are implementing changes in the way their people work in the office and foster collaboration. This new approach to office design is at the core of the Agile Workplace.

Is the office environment really that important?

The design and layout of your office can be one of the biggest sources of unproductivity in your business.

Its common knowledge that a happy and comfortable employee is a productive employee. Taking employee comfort and preferences into account when designing a workplace leads to higher levels of job satisfaction, improved morale and helps your company attract and retain top talent.

Employee morale is affected by many things such as organizational culture, work life balance etc. However, one of the main factors that influence morale amongst your employees is the environment in which they work. Issues such poor or inadequate lighting, lack of privacy or space, even uncomfortable seating all seem like minor issues, but taken altogether? They can lead to an unhappy or apathetic workforce.

An organization that wants to grow and expand will need to address these issues in their workplace in order to enable their employees to work to their full potential.

This is where an Agile Workplace makes sense.

The Agile Workplace is a revolutionary approach that marries individualism and collaboration to create a dynamic workplace.

The main idea behind an Agile Workplace is giving employees the freedom to work where they feel most comfortable, rather than being chained to a desk. They can work in a semi-private room, a collaborative space, a sofa or even a regular desk, the important thing is they have the choice to choose any or none of them as per their desires. An Agile Workplace accounts for different personality types and promotes movement and collaboration throughout the organization.

One important thing that must be kept in mind when designing an Agile Workplace is to resist the temptation to increase the number of people in a space when removing barriers and partitions. The slight reduction in operating costs offered by maximizing headcount in an office is more than offset by the lack of comfort and low morale amongst your employees. After all, who enjoys being crammed together like sardines?

What are the benefits of an Agile Workplace?

The Agile Workplace has many benefits compared to an open office or closed office plan.

Increased morale and productivity, better collaboration, reduced real estate costs and absenteeism, there are just some of the benefits that an agile office layout offers your business.

An Agile Workplace is also highly customizable, and better able to adjust to the needs to different personality types and different generations in one workplace. Where an open office is a one size fits all solution, an agile office can be adjusted to account for individual needs.

How do I implement this in my business?

An Agile Workplace requires a shift in thinking. It goes beyond more than a simple floor plan or layout and does requires some work before implementation. Knowing your people, learning their needs and reconciling it with the realities of your business takes time, but its time well spent for an office that shows your people that they are valued and helps them reach their fullest potential.

Want to implement an agile workplace design for your new office? Maybe renovate your existing premises to bring out the best from your people? Horton Interiors is a leading provider of interior design solutions, commercial fit outs and consultancy in the GCC. Get in touch at info@hortoninteriors.com or call us on +971 55 796 0547/+971 43 881 163 and let us help you create the most effective and productive office for you and your people.