How to Design and Build an Office

Employees are likely to be more enthusiastic about coming to work if they can look forward to a comfortable space.

According to architecture firm Gensler, numerous office workers stated in a survey that they would be willing to work longer hours if they had a nicer office space to work in; clearly, office design and layout has a huge effect on workplace morale and should be taken seriously. To design and build an effective, efficient and pleasant office environment, business owners should pay special attention to important issues such as how space is used by their employees and how the layout of the office might influence workflow.

Instructions

1. Observe your employees in the current office workspace (if you have one). Take notes on the layout and how the design affects employee interaction, workflow and output; also be sure to observe---honestly---whether your employees seem happy to be at work. Shadow employees, rotate around the office to see how spaces are regularly used, and ask employees about how they use their space throughout the course of the day.

2. Present these notes to your corporate/commercial architecture firm and discuss your findings and how these findings influence what you want for your future office.

3. Take an active role in the architectural firm's design planning. Tell the firm what you want implemented.

4. Review the architectural firm's initial design plans before presenting them to your employees---you want to be sure that the factors you outlined as important in your initial office observations have been incorporated into these plans.

5. If satisfied with the plans, present them to your office and allow your employees to be part of the design process (and not just the observation process). Ask for feedback about the plans; inevitably, you will not be able to accommodate every request, but it is important for morale and for the effectiveness of your future office to incorporate constructive employee feedback into this process.

6. Take the approved, constructive employee feedback to the architectural firm and request that they incorporate those suggestions into the design plans.

7. Once the design plans are finalized, arrange a meeting between your architects and your contractors to discuss how these plans should be carried out. Again, take on an active role in observing construction in your new office space.

8. With office construction complete, don't back down in your efforts to create a productive and pleasant work environment---invest in quality seating for employees, calm and non-harsh lighting (for example, avoid fluorescent lighting) and painting different areas of the office in energized colors.

References

• BNET: Office Design---How To Build A Better Office
• Morgan Lovell: Office Design and Build