Everyone likes to boast about open office spaces as if they’re the best thing since sliced bread. A collaborative environment where walls barely exist, lounge areas are in every corner, and snacks and ideas can be easily shared with coworkers around you. But what most won’t tell you is that open office spaces are riddled with distractions, often doing the opposite of what they are intended: dragging productivity down. Open office spaces may not be right for every employer or employee, but are there positive aspects to the layout at all?
Of course. Here, we’ll take a deep dive into the pros and cons of the open office layout and identify which types of businesses can benefit from it most. Open office layouts one-size-fits-all. Doing the research and picking the right layout can mean the difference between stagnation and success.
Open Office Spaces
In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the modern open office plan originally designed by 20th century architect Frank Lloyd Wright became the answer to the economic and population strains of the workforce. Tearing down walls meant more employees could fit into the same sized space without increasing operational costs. But the open office layout Wright created is far different than the one touted by offices around the globe. Rather than incorporating a focus on natural light and plenty of space between employees, modern open office layouts tend to cram employees into a small space, placing them side-by-side for “enhanced collaboration and productivity.” There may be positive aspects of this office layout, but the numerous cons prove the idealized version of open office spaces is far from reality.
The Positive Side of Open Office Layouts
Team-Centered Collaboration
Proponents of open office layouts often cite increased collaboration as a major selling factor, but this positive only applies if the layout is done correctly. Sitting employees next to each other randomly seems like it would foster communication and collaboration that otherwise wouldn’t happen, when in reality it could do more harm than good. If situated away from the coworkers they typically collaborate with, employees are more likely to turn to email or instant message to contact them. Instead, separate employees based off of teams or groups that already collaborate daily. When members of teams are in close proximity to each other, they’ll opt to communicate in real-time more often than turning to sending an email or instant message.
Cost Effective
Breaking down walls and replacing standing desks with one long table is a no-brainer if you’re concerned about costs. One study found that purchasing 50 cubicles cost around $60,000, while 50 individual standing desks would only set your business back $24,000. While standing desks may seem like a great alternative monetarily, think about it in terms of square footage: research shows the popularity of open office plans dropped the square footage per employee by one-third in the past seven years. Turning that into costs, adopting an open office plan would save large corporations like JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America around a billion dollars per year. Of course, cost is just one part of the equation. Consider the cons of this office plan before making the jump just to save a bit of change.
Increased Flexibility
Unlike traditional office spaces, open office layouts are designed to be flexible. If an influx of new workers comes onboard, you can easily tack on more chairs to the end of a table or slide a desk anywhere there’s room. Or, if your employees feel the current layout of desks and chairs is hindering their productivity, changing it up is quick and painless. There are no walls to break down or large cubicles to rearrange; change is always welcome, so your space can grow along with your business.
Negativity Out in the Open
Decreased Communication
Despite open office layouts being marketed as the best design for communication and collaboration, studies have found the layout to be anything but. A 2018 study found that in every case analyzed, face-to-face communication dropped by 70% in open office spaces, while electronic communication increased. Rather than being encouraged to talk to nearby coworkers, employees tended to socially withdraw out of fear of being too loud or disrupting others.
Distractions
Along the same lines, distractions in open office spaces are impossible to avoid. While most employees have been shown to shut down socially, open office layouts mean no barriers, so every conversation — on the phone or in-person — can create noise that walls would have prevented. Even if employees are cognizant of others and take conversations in private areas, employees sitting in close proximity to one another may find themselves getting annoyed by small ticks or habits of others. Pen-clicking, foot tapping, and even loud chewing can all distract employees from their work.
Decreased Productivity & Lowered Employee Morale
Between decreased communication, a plethora of distractions, and lack of privacy, productivity is bound to suffer. The open office layout may have been designed with an increase in productivity in mind, but studies show that 1 in 3 employees feel distractions and noise inevitable in open work spaces negatively impacts their productivity. One in six employees also say the added distractions and noise hinder their creativity.
Taking decreased productivity into account is vital for businesses to accurately assess whether open office plans are worth the investment, but employers also need to consider employee morale. One in eight employees working in open office spaces said they’ve considered leaving their job simply because of the layout and feel resentment toward executives with private offices.
Not Worth the Risk
Open office plans look great on paper: Put all of your employees in the same room to eliminate hierarchy and facilitate collaboration while saving a significant amount of money in operational costs. In reality, open office spaces do little as promised. Instead of increasing communication, open office plans hinder productivity and can cost your business something more valuable than money: your employees. Unless you’re a freelancer looking for shared working spaces to interact with like-minded professionals, open floor plans may not be the right choice for your business.
At Nexus Workspaces, we’ve moved away from the traditional office and created a unique alternative designed for professionals to succeed. From executive-style offices to shared workspaces, our office spaces and expansive services fit the needs of any business — small startups, medium-sized firms, and large corporations alike. Visit us online or at one of our Florida locations to see how a new layout and new environment can boost your productivity, connectedness, and networking.
Should the work week consist of 30 hours max? Here’s what we think.
/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by CGI Merchant GroupShould the Workweek Consist of 30 Hours maximum? Here’s what we think.
Plenty of companies around the world have introduced the 30-hour workweek instead of the usual 40 hours. Where did the 40-hour workweek originate? According to Business Insider, the idea came from a post-civil war United States, where Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the New Deal policy that made working 40 hours a week the American standard to amend preceding labor exploitation that occurred during the Great Depression. However, when we consider how much times have changed since then, does a 30-hour work week seem like it could be the new 40-hour workweek?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of a 30-hour workweek:
Pros
Cons
How will you know if making the switch is right for your company? Here are some things to consider:
In the corporate world, most people are overworked, especially in 2021, and this can cause mental and physical stress. Deciding on a 30-hour work week may be beneficial to them, but not all businesses may adapt. Using our pros and cons list may help you into deciding which works best for you and your business.
Trying a 30 hour work week? Let us know https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=nexus%20workspaces
Business Spotlight: The Pink Queen Foundation
/0 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupNexus Workspaces is where professionals go to achieve their goals. Our various office spaces and extensive services accommodates the needs of all businesses types: small, large, growing or start-up. For this month’s business spotlight, we’re featuring a non-profit foundation whose mission is to provide hope baskets to cancer survivors that are currently under treatment.
TPQF was established in 2016. Our founder, Tenecia, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 37 with two young children at home. During her treatments, other recently diagnosed women reached out to her to form a supportive community. She recognized the opportunity and created baskets with items that are needed throughout the surgery recovery, chemo, and radiation treatments.
Our mission is to make a personal connection with cancer survivors currently undergoing treatments. We can connect with the survivor and their caretaker to learn about their diagnosis, assist them where needed and learn about treatment plan(s). This allows us to connect cancer survivors with our network of survivors for support.
Clients that finish their treatments and decide to contact the foundation to volunteer and advocate for the organization are some of the best moments for us. Also, word of mouth referrals for in-kind donations and monetary support are great morale boosters.
Nexus is an amazing partner by allowing us to host our Jeep event in the parking lot, allowing us to put more money back into the organization instead of spending money on rental space. We also regularly utilize the conference space for our board and cancer support meetings.
When the name was selected for the organization, it was a decision based on the survivor’s personal cancer journey. She considered herself a Queen who fought through the journey and earned a pink ribbon.
The ribbon on the head represents a faceless human being that has embarked upon the journey. The ribbon represents a man or woman – cancer impacts everyone. The top across the chest is a crown turned upside down. This represents that the queen can wear her crown as apparel. The “HOPE” sleeve on the arm represents the journey of lymphedema that cancer survivors deal with daily.
The Nexus location in West Palm Beach is centrally located and has the amenities we needed for our headquarters: a breakroom area, conference room, and workout room. We also liked the convenience of having water, light, phone, and internet service included in the contract.
If you are looking to keep your overhead costs down, which can include the maintenance of managing office space, but still want to have the benefit of running a business in a professional office setting at an affordable rate, flex workspace is an option you should seriously consider.
Creating personal connections from a remote office
/0 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupThe “new normal” of work has left employees wanting a more flexible work lifestyle. Nexus Workspaces has experience with balancing the needs of a remote workforce while still building highly effective teams. Although their corporate office is located in Florida, Nexus Workspaces has navigated remote work for 8 years.
Even though flexible working looks different than traditional office-based work, especially in an office like Nexus Workspaces, humans still will seek to interact with one another.
Here are some tips for building and fostering great team culture for your business, even remotely:
Communicating with your team is crucial. Being reliable and able to communicate often with your team members plays a big role in your employees’ success. We recommend Zoom calls, camera on!
According to research done by Forbes, showing employees you care about their wellbeing, results in them being more passionate, self-motivated and willing to achieve more.
This is vital to reinforce with your employees. Company values and missions are the foundation for your company culture and expectations of others. Ask yourself questions about your own personal beliefs and values. Or the types of qualities in people you admire.
By creating and fostering great team culture, you will be rewarded with higher employee engagement and productivity. Making your job easier!
What matters most when starting a business?
/0 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupWhat matters most when starting a business?
Starting a business is one of the best ways to launch your career as an entrepreneur. People who start businesses are not only longing for independence but are also passionate about their products and services!
Starting a business is not simple – whether you are creating one-of-a-kind handmade items, launching your own firm, running a construction company, or opening an online store. Every business has its own challenges and complexities. You should be financially and mentally prepared for the numerous challenges that a business comes with, especially in the early stages.
So, what exactly matters most when starting your own business?
Knowing your purpose is key to deciding important factors and decisions that you will make along the way. Identifying your mission and business goals makes the company’s work evident. For example, Google’s products and services like Search, Gmail, Google Earth, etc., align with their which is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Getting your finances organized for startup costs can be a bit intimidating, but once you know how much you will need and obtain that amount, this process is a breeze. If the business you are trying to start requires a big investment, you might want to have a business plan for how you will execute.
Some business can operate efficiently out of the comfort of a home, others might require an office. Or you may want to consider the best of both – a flexible office space. Nexus Workspaces was designed to help businesses of all sizes succeed and is the perfect place for your headquarters. Nexus offers virtual offices and shared offices, which give you an official address, mail, printing services, and conference rooms at affordable and flexible rates.
One of the very first things that you will need as a business owner, is the legal structure of your business. Attorney Mason Cole of Cole Sadkin LLC advises, “It will dictate the taxes, paperwork, liability of the owners, and other legal aspects, as well as whether or not the company can have employees.”
Establishing your business structure will help you acquire the legal, local and state registrations required to legally open and operate.
We know starting a business can be challenging and hope this serves as a good starting point as you pursue new endeavors.
Business Spotlight: The Sanctuary for Mind, Body & Spirit
/0 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupNexus Workspaces is where professionals go to achieve their goals. Our various office spaces and extensive services accommodates the needs of all businesses types: small, large, growing or start-up. This week, we’re starting a new series where we highlight some of our tenants and featuring Sheila, an energy healer that works out of the Nexus Wellington location.
The Sanctuary for Mind, Body & Spirit helps people access peace, calm high-level stress, and heal emotionally and physically. Today’s modern world is full of distractions with social media, chiming phones, 24-hour news cycle, and endless emails. The Sanctuary provides a haven for people to disconnect from the pressures of life, so they can reconnect with themselves and tap into their inner guidance for purpose, meaning, joy, love and abundance. Our main aim is to reduce stress because stress is known to cause a host of physical, emotional, and mental issues.
We lead people to harmony and balance via:
The Sanctuary was born out of a quest to relieve myself from anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction in life. Once I self-healed from a negative mindset and found peace, I knew I needed to bring this level of personal freedom to others!
Nexus Workspaces has been an awesome place to start my business. The facilities are immaculate, and I feel proud when my clients come to my office that they enter such a beautiful and grand building. The property manager is the best. From my first encounter with him, I felt like he was my friend and like he cared about my success. I thought it was our connection, but I’ve watched him interact with other tenants and he treats everyone the same way, like they matter. The receptionist is an absolute delight and the fact that my clients have a lovely, smiling face to check in with, really elevates the look and perception of my business.
For many people, when they first start engaging with energy healing, there’s usually a storm raging in them. They’re stressed out, have relationship problems, or persistent physical ailments. The most satisfying part about my job is being witness to their evolution in healing over time. I love watching people’s layers of emotional turmoil, frustration, unforgiveness peel back little by little to reveal their true purpose in life and an empowered part of themselves that was hiding underneath the drama, distractions and pain. It’s such an honor to hold space for them to love themselves again and make healthier decisions with their body, thoughts and relationships. The transformations have been profound and about 90% of the people who have experienced one of my energy healing sessions schedules another.
Consciously breathing saved my life. Although I employed many healing modalities like sound healing, crystals, and journaling, I would say breathing was the largest catalyst in my journey of peeling back my layers of trapped emotions. The best starting place is to download a meditation app like Insight Timer or Calm and let them guide you until you can do it on your own.
The first thing I do after waking up and brushing my teeth is to consciously breathe. Then I do a short meditation, my daily affirmations, and some stretching. When I arrive to my office at Nexus, I check the emails to my two businesses – The Sanctuary and a freelance graphic design practice. I field phone calls throughout the day and attend client virtual meetings. If I’m not working on a graphic project, I’m conducting an energy healing session. Or I’ll do something toward the growth of The Sanctuary such as update my blog, manage my social channels, or optimize my website for SEO. After I get home, make dinner, and spend time with my family, I end my night journaling, reading, connecting with one of my crystals, or playing with my sound bowl.
Why are flexible office spaces important?
/2 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupWhat exactly are flexible office spaces?
First, let’s define what flexible office spaces are– flexible office spaces are centered around providing businesses of all sizes with versatile spaces, short-term leases, and services to meet their office needs.
Nexus Workspaces is an excellent example of what a flexible office space can look like and offer. Nexus was designed to help businesses of all types succeed: Small, large, growing, or start-up. We offer extensive services and customizable packages to help you manage day-to-day operations, allowing you to focus on what matters most to you.
Why is it called flexible office space?
It’s called flexible working because it’s used to describe any office space that does not stick to your traditional workspace model. Flexible office spaces allow you to work from home, have a virtual office, rent out meeting spaces, and even work part-time. Usually, those who choose to work in an office space set their own schedules and office hours.
Why are flexible office spaces important, and why should you make the switch?
According to workflexibility.org, people who join flexible office working, have reported higher work satisfaction, with a 13% increase in productivity. Flexible working allows employees to work when they want, how they want, and generally where they want. Flexible offices spaces, like Nexus, give you all that, plus convenient locations close to home, providing employees with a greater work-life balance.
Making the switch to a flexible office space can be extremely cost-effective. Unlike the traditional office space, you don’t have to pay for maintenance services, security services, or cleaning services. Flexible office spaces often offer both long- and short-term leases and can reduce operational costs for companies, while maximizing space simultaneously. According to valuepenguin.com, flexible office spaces can be 60-70% more cost effective than the traditional office lease with 30+ employees. Traditional offices with brick-and-mortar require long leases, and not to mention expense ones! The higher the square footage, the higher your rent will probably be.
What are some of the pros of flexible office spaces?
Working within flexible office spaces means you have a higher chance of working with dedicated professionals in both different and similar industries, creating synergies and various networking opportunities.
Since most people in flexible office spaces are usually their own employers, there isn’t much room for distractions. Nexus prides itself in its executive office business model, fostering a productive environment for business owners and its employees.
Access to a conference room, an office, a courtyard.
Courtyard at the Nexus Workspaces Boca Raton Location.
Built-in amenities such as gyms and fitness facilities, kitchen, conference room access at no additional cost.
Waived maintenance fee, security fee, and cleaning fee.
Here at Nexus, we believe in finding the right solution for you, and we believe in taking your business to the next level. Visit our Contact page to get started!
The Future of Commuting
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Nitin NairWhat are some things to expect for the future of commuting?
Last year was an unpredictable year universally, and although we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, many companies have opted to continue working remotely for the foreseeable future. According to the New York Times, in October of 2020, 73 percent of U.S. employees would prefer not to go back into the office due to fear that returning to work could pose a risk to their personal health.
As a result of the pandemic, companies have re-evaluated the importance of having expensive offices in high-rise city buildings. Major companies and large businesses are now opting for co-working spaces, primarily in suburban areas, allowing employees to have a balance between working at home and in the office.
Nexus Workspaces has plenty of locations and flexible plans throughout Florida. Our most popular plans are the virtual and executive office plans, which provides business owners with the convenience of having both a business address and a private space that best meets your needs and reduces operational costs.
We’ve recently seen an influx of large companies like Amazon, Capital One, Nationwide Insurance, and Facebook switch to long-term remote work, and it is likely many companies will continue to follow.
What does this all mean for the future of commuting? It is most likely going to improve your commute to work, for many reasons!
Although life looks very different than it did one year ago, one thing is for certain- both states and employers are pushing towards this new way of commuting to and from work. This includes implementing more bike lanes, fewer cars on the road, trains being cleaned more frequently, and providing employees with more flexible work options, it seems this trend is here to stay.
6 Ways to Stay Productive
/0 Comments/in Blog /by CGI Merchant GroupStart each day with a plan
At the beginning of each day, jot down the tasks you’d like to accomplish, starting with the most difficult or time-consuming. Getting them out of the way first thing in the morning will help set the tone for the day. Completing the most difficult tasks on the list will give you the momentum to continue throughout the day and allowing you to be as productive as possible.
Optimizing your email communication
According to Forbes, emailing back and forth can be counterproductive and waste a lot of your time throughout the day. If you catch your email chain going beyond two or three replies, you should probably have the conversation over the phone in order to maximize efficiency.
Planning your week on Fridays
This tip is the most under-utilized! Whenever that Friday feeling kicks in, we’re all guilty of getting ahead of ourselves and planning for the weekend. We recommend planning for the upcoming week on Friday instead of waiting until Monday rolls around. This allows you to get a head start and plan your week accordingly.
Rewarding yourself
Sometimes, a pick-me-up is the best form of motivation! Incentives can vary by person, but whether that means treating yourself to something sweet or a short break at your nearby park, we encourage you to do it! We all need to recharge and allowing yourself to do things that bring you joy are not only important but can also bring out your most productive self.
Setting a bedtime and sticking to it
Sleep is crucial to productivity. Studies show that a good night’s rest boosts productivity. According to Sleep.org, sleep deprivation symptoms are more than just feeling tired. They also include lack of cognitive function, which affects concentration, the ability to make decisions and job performance. In order to avoid this, we recommend developing a bedtime routine and avoiding any technology one hour before bed.
Exercise Regularly
Returning to Work From Remote
/1 Comment/in Blog, Uncategorized /by CGI Merchant GroupShifting to a remote workforce is no longer a prediction for the future — it’s our reality. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in millions of lives all over the world and put the American workforce’s evolution in overdrive. As states entered emergency shutdowns and social distancing, nearly 7 in 10 employees started clocking in from home. While some companies made the change permanent, others were just waiting for the all-clear to have employees fill their offices again.
As of October 2020, 40 states have officially reopened or are in the process of reopening, with only 10 states and Puerto Rico reversing back into lockdowns. Reopened states means reopened businesses and, in turn, employees returning to work. Despite state officials giving the green light, do employees feel safe reclaiming their spot in the office or would they prefer to work remotely indefinitely?
A Return to Normal, Safely
A recent study by Office Depot shows the workforce may be farther along in the return to “normal” than some think, and employees are surprisingly happy about it. The study found that 67.4% of employees had already returned to work, and 56.2% of those who hadn’t were looking forward to doing so. On the other hand, only 26% of employers intended to keep their employees working from home indefinitely, despite major companies like Microsoft, Indeed, Google, American Express, and Airbnb making the shift.
Tech-driven companies may have an easier time making the permanent shift to remote work, but allowing employees to work from home is only one way employers can protect their staff. For businesses that simply can’t make the transition to full remote work, it is the employers responsibility to make the workplace a safe space to return to.
Having hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes at the ready is sure to help workplace hygiene, but most employers took safety a step further. A whopping 83% of employers hired outside resources to conduct on-site assessments and benchmarking to ensure the workplace was safe for reentry. Once they determined the workplace was safe for business to resume, over 46% of employers purchased PPE for their employees and 27.5% did so for themselves, too. On average, employers spent nearly $650 on PPE to prepare for employees’ return.
Employers didn’t stop there, though. Following in the footsteps of 33 states and the District of Columbia, 63.5% of employers created mask mandates, requiring employees to wear masks at all times, except when eating or drinking. Over half of employers only required employees to wear masks when interacting with clients, while others only required masks to be worn during meetings or around clients and customers.
The CDC offers employers recommendations on how to keep themselves and their employees safe in the workplace, and social distancing and masks certainly top the list. But smaller changes, like encouraging hand washing and disinfecting the most trafficked surfaces can also do wonders to keep the workspace low risk. According to Office Depot’s study, the most common steps employers took to safen up the workplace were adding hand-sanitizing stations, frequently disinfecting workspaces, physically distancing employees, allowing flexible work schedules, and carrying out a workplace risk assessment.
While these precautions should be applied throughout the office for ultimate protection, there are certain work spaces that managers feel are more risky than others. Meeting and conference rooms top the list, followed by common areas, bathrooms, and break areas. Of course, the best way to mediate the risk is to limit the number of employees allowed in these areas at once, and increase the frequency of sanitation.
Split Sentiments
Employers taking extra precaution in making the workplace a safe place to return to certainly helps employers feel more ready to return, but what exactly do employees miss about the workplace the most? The survey found over 55% of employees were looking forward to seeing their co-workers again, while 42.5% missed their personal workspace and 37.3 craved the work-life balance that can be hard to obtain when working from home.
Nevertheless, over half of employees said they’d still prefer to work remotely, and would be willing to sacrifice vacation days to do so. Studies show working remotely has plenty of pros and cons, but according to nearly 60% of employers and over 62% of employees, the main benefit of remote work is the flexible hours it comes with. On the flip side, remote work limits face-to-face time and team connection — downsides of which have been painfully felt by millions during the pandemic.
Should You Stay or Should You Go
Whether your company has already brought employees back into the office or has transitioned to a remote working style, it’s imperative that employees tune in to their working needs and find ways to meet them. Some employees thrive in their home office, while others feel their productivity and work-life balance suffer. If your company is trying to find the perfect balance with a hybrid workforce, considering alternatives to traditional office spaces may be the answer. Allow employees who prefer to work from the comfort of their own home to do so, while providing others with an office space designed for their success.
At Nexus Workspaces, we created office spaces to do just that — help businesses and professionals accomplish their goals. From startups and small businesses to large, growing corporations, our workspaces and extensive services are designed with you and your business in mind, so you can focus on what matters most: doing what you love, successfully. To learn more, visit us online or at one of our properties today.
The Office Layout Best Fit For Your Business
/1 Comment/in Blog, Uncategorized /by CGI Merchant GroupEveryone likes to boast about open office spaces as if they’re the best thing since sliced bread. A collaborative environment where walls barely exist, lounge areas are in every corner, and snacks and ideas can be easily shared with coworkers around you. But what most won’t tell you is that open office spaces are riddled with distractions, often doing the opposite of what they are intended: dragging productivity down. Open office spaces may not be right for every employer or employee, but are there positive aspects to the layout at all?
Of course. Here, we’ll take a deep dive into the pros and cons of the open office layout and identify which types of businesses can benefit from it most. Open office layouts one-size-fits-all. Doing the research and picking the right layout can mean the difference between stagnation and success.
Open Office Spaces
In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the modern open office plan originally designed by 20th century architect Frank Lloyd Wright became the answer to the economic and population strains of the workforce. Tearing down walls meant more employees could fit into the same sized space without increasing operational costs. But the open office layout Wright created is far different than the one touted by offices around the globe. Rather than incorporating a focus on natural light and plenty of space between employees, modern open office layouts tend to cram employees into a small space, placing them side-by-side for “enhanced collaboration and productivity.” There may be positive aspects of this office layout, but the numerous cons prove the idealized version of open office spaces is far from reality.
The Positive Side of Open Office Layouts
Team-Centered Collaboration
Proponents of open office layouts often cite increased collaboration as a major selling factor, but this positive only applies if the layout is done correctly. Sitting employees next to each other randomly seems like it would foster communication and collaboration that otherwise wouldn’t happen, when in reality it could do more harm than good. If situated away from the coworkers they typically collaborate with, employees are more likely to turn to email or instant message to contact them. Instead, separate employees based off of teams or groups that already collaborate daily. When members of teams are in close proximity to each other, they’ll opt to communicate in real-time more often than turning to sending an email or instant message.
Cost Effective
Breaking down walls and replacing standing desks with one long table is a no-brainer if you’re concerned about costs. One study found that purchasing 50 cubicles cost around $60,000, while 50 individual standing desks would only set your business back $24,000. While standing desks may seem like a great alternative monetarily, think about it in terms of square footage: research shows the popularity of open office plans dropped the square footage per employee by one-third in the past seven years. Turning that into costs, adopting an open office plan would save large corporations like JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America around a billion dollars per year. Of course, cost is just one part of the equation. Consider the cons of this office plan before making the jump just to save a bit of change.
Increased Flexibility
Unlike traditional office spaces, open office layouts are designed to be flexible. If an influx of new workers comes onboard, you can easily tack on more chairs to the end of a table or slide a desk anywhere there’s room. Or, if your employees feel the current layout of desks and chairs is hindering their productivity, changing it up is quick and painless. There are no walls to break down or large cubicles to rearrange; change is always welcome, so your space can grow along with your business.
Negativity Out in the Open
Decreased Communication
Despite open office layouts being marketed as the best design for communication and collaboration, studies have found the layout to be anything but. A 2018 study found that in every case analyzed, face-to-face communication dropped by 70% in open office spaces, while electronic communication increased. Rather than being encouraged to talk to nearby coworkers, employees tended to socially withdraw out of fear of being too loud or disrupting others.
Distractions
Along the same lines, distractions in open office spaces are impossible to avoid. While most employees have been shown to shut down socially, open office layouts mean no barriers, so every conversation — on the phone or in-person — can create noise that walls would have prevented. Even if employees are cognizant of others and take conversations in private areas, employees sitting in close proximity to one another may find themselves getting annoyed by small ticks or habits of others. Pen-clicking, foot tapping, and even loud chewing can all distract employees from their work.
Decreased Productivity & Lowered Employee Morale
Between decreased communication, a plethora of distractions, and lack of privacy, productivity is bound to suffer. The open office layout may have been designed with an increase in productivity in mind, but studies show that 1 in 3 employees feel distractions and noise inevitable in open work spaces negatively impacts their productivity. One in six employees also say the added distractions and noise hinder their creativity.
Taking decreased productivity into account is vital for businesses to accurately assess whether open office plans are worth the investment, but employers also need to consider employee morale. One in eight employees working in open office spaces said they’ve considered leaving their job simply because of the layout and feel resentment toward executives with private offices.
Not Worth the Risk
Open office plans look great on paper: Put all of your employees in the same room to eliminate hierarchy and facilitate collaboration while saving a significant amount of money in operational costs. In reality, open office spaces do little as promised. Instead of increasing communication, open office plans hinder productivity and can cost your business something more valuable than money: your employees. Unless you’re a freelancer looking for shared working spaces to interact with like-minded professionals, open floor plans may not be the right choice for your business.
At Nexus Workspaces, we’ve moved away from the traditional office and created a unique alternative designed for professionals to succeed. From executive-style offices to shared workspaces, our office spaces and expansive services fit the needs of any business — small startups, medium-sized firms, and large corporations alike. Visit us online or at one of our Florida locations to see how a new layout and new environment can boost your productivity, connectedness, and networking.