In recent years, business managers and leaders have fully appreciated the value of having modern managed office premises. Partly, this recognition has come from the last few years in business. This saw an increase in hybrid and remote models of work as a response to the covid-19 pandemic. Employees were told to work from home to obey movement and gathering laws that the government had imposed to slow the spread of the virus.
Whilst this helped to maintain a degree of business continuity for many organisations, it also led to a rise in silo working and lower levels of employee motivation. Staff could not communicate as frequently. Or as easily with their co-workers and wider teams, which led to a loss of productivity in some circumstances. This article seeks to explain and illustrate the value of having a modern managed office in terms of improved productivity by exploring three key themes.
Clean and functional layout
Today in 2023, many modern managed office premises suppliers, such as those found at theworkstation.co.uk will design their offices with a clean and functional layout. Many are likely to be designed to function with minimal clutter and the maximum use of open space. Some providers of office space will also hire cleaning staff to keep the premises tidy after every shift. Recent information strongly suggests that a clean and decluttered working environment can help employees to be more productive in the workplace. A clean and decluttered office will be more likely to be free of bugs and germs. This can help reduce staff sickness levels. In addition, a minimalist approach to the design of office premises helps staff to concentrate on their tasks more effectively due to a lack of distractions and a more pleasant working environment.
Benefits of open plan designs
As well as clean and functional layouts, modern offices are commonly designed to be an open plan in their construction. You can see examples of open-plan office designs here that are used by some of the leading large corporations. The key benefit of an open plan design for office premises is that it promotes efficient communication between individual employees and teams. Brief discussions can take place without planning, and ideas can be exchanged rapidly with less need for dedicated (and time-consuming) meetings to take place. This helps to create an improved communication and decision-making environment. And can result in far higher productivity levels when compared to remote forms or working or traditional office environments comprising several self-contained offices.
Manged offices vs remote working
Whilst remote working was necessary to respond to the pandemic, many staff and employers felt that it negatively impacted workforce productivity. Dedicated staff could sit for hours at their home desks without taking a break. Whilst this sounds commendable, it is recognised that this can lead to lower focus and concentration levels after as little as an hour without a break. This leads to lower productivity levels across the whole working day. In addition, communication can be poor between remote staff, and work may get duplicated due to a lack of understanding between individuals and teams over roles and responsibilities. Conversely, when staff works together in a shared physical office space, regular breaks are encouraged. This keep productivity high across the day and regular communication between staff without the need to plan such conversations.
Thank you for reading.
You may also be interested in our post on working from home:
How to stay motivated when working from home
How to build a business when working from home