The ideal office layout has changed significantly since the post-war design based on enclosed spaces and cubicles gave way to ‘open-plan’.
Open-plan offices were thought to facilitate communication and create a more relaxed atmosphere where teamwork and creativity could flourish. This trend proved so popular that by the turn of the century open-plan offices were pretty much ubiquitous.
But open-plan offices are not without their problems. They tend to be noisier, leading to distractions and lost productivity. The lack of privacy can make confidential phone calls and meetings more difficult. And while the office extrovert might love the wide-open spaces, more reserved employees often don’t cope so well.
But a new trend is using the best of both styles: an adaptable space that allows workers to interact and collaborate without stifling creativity, and yet provides the privacy needed to ensure focus and productivity.
Welcome to the ‘hybrid’ office layout. As Fortune Magazine put it, the hybrid office “incorporates a range of spaces and gives employees the autonomy to move between them throughout the day.”
The key to the success of a hybrid office is diversity. Instead of a cavernous open area or a collection of pokey cubicles, a hybrid office offers a range of spaces. There are open workspaces and lounges allowing for group collaboration and socialising, as well as private cubicles or offices for individual work, phone calls and small meetings.
A team meeting at 10 am? Let’s meet in the lounge. Important phone call with a key client? Office 5 is available.
One of the keys to the success of the hybrid office is mobile technology and cloud-based software and data storage. No longer shackled to a fixed phone and a desktop computer, employees can move freely between spaces through the work day.
A related trend is ‘hot-desking’, where desks and workspaces are shared by multiple employees during the day. This is especially useful where workers spend much of their time outside the office.
The hybrid concept allows you to create an office layout to suit the specific needs of your business and its workers, and Jackal Constructions can help you get there.
Whether it’s a brand new office space or a renovation, at Jackal Constructions we offer a full range of building services, with the expertise to see your project through to successful, on-time completion. And as a smaller company we offer highly personalised service and attention to every detail, ensuring you achieve the results you are looking for. Contact us today on 0401 851 699.
