Archive for the ‘Office Furnitures’ Category
If you’ve never heard of an open plan office, then you’re not alone. However, the office concept has become more and more popular over the past several years. An open plan office means that your space is comprised of low horizon systems, whereas a plan consisting of private offices means a series of offices complete with dry wall, a door, and separate office furniture. But what’s the deal with open plan offices? We took some time to evaluate the pros and cons and want to share them with you.
The benefits of utilizing an open plan office include:
- They encourage building relationships with your co-workers (this could also be seen as a con if you’re not crazy about your co-workers) as well as communication and the exchange of information.
- An enhanced sense of community within the office space.
- They’re most cost-effective, especially if the planner carefully selects office cubicles and partitions that help to maximize on usable space.
- Heating and cooling will be more efficient, meaning that your facility will be more environmentally-friendly.
Now onto the cons of an open plan office:
- Productivity may actually decrease—this is due to the fact that all of the workers will be able to hear each other. Talk about distraction!
- Germs will be more easily transmitted, so you’ll want to be sure to get that flu shot if your company takes on an open-plan approach.
- The lack of privacy can create serious stress and insecurity.
- There’s sure to be increased noise with open plan offices, whereas private offices feature a reduction of noise.
As you can see, there are many pros and many cons for employing an open plan office. Which would you prefer at your company: an open plan office or a series of private offices?