At Flow Office, we understand what makes great office design. It’s not just about creating spaces that look attractive and showcase your business. They also need to be comfortable spaces within which to work and to keep your staff happy.
There are lots of things to think about and the limitations of space can add extra complexity to the mix. With so many aspects to consider, it can be easy to get it wrong.
Bad office design can create all kinds of problems for companies. And it’s more common than you might think.
What is bad office design and why does it happen?
Jumping on trends
Fashions in office design come and go, with some turning out to be dead ends while others going on to have a significant impact on how offices are designed for years to come. While trends can be helpful, companies who hop on design trends without considering them entirely can end up making expensive mistakes.
Without proper planning, you may fall inadvertently into embedding bad office design in your workplace. Before implementing any new trends it’s important to consider if they’re relevant and practical to your needs.
Poor execution
Even if the ideas underlying your design concept might sound good on paper, the redesign might be poorly executed. This can happen for a variety of reasons (see below), so it’s important to have a clear plan in place before any work begins.
Overcrowding
Poor office design can be stressful for workers, and this is especially true when it comes to overcrowding. Too many desks, too narrow walkways, and too many different workspaces forced into too small a floorspace can all lead to overcrowding.
Hot desking and desk neighbourhoods can help to mitigate the risk of overcrowding, and are increasingly featured in intelligent office design.
Insufficient workspaces
Closely related to problems of overcrowding are those of insufficient workspaces. Underestimating the amount and type of workspaces you need can cause real problems in your office. Productivity suffers and disputes can occur.
No matter how innovative your design is, if it doesn’t contain enough practical elements then it will fail. Ensuring you have the right office furniture in place underpins good office design.
No quiet spaces
Bad design often makes it difficult to find genuinely quiet spaces that allow for concentrated work. This can make for stressful working conditions and can make it challenging for some people to work effectively.
No sense of community or identity
Offices should not just be utilitarian spaces where work takes place. They should also contain space for collective moments, building and strengthening relationships and promoting a sense of shared endeavour.
The office space should reflect the company identity and culture, whether that’s contemporary and vibrant or traditional and trusted. This helps foster the qualities in your employees and across your organisation that you need to support your brand.
Effective office design from Flow Office
Flow Office lead the way when it comes to effective office design and fit-outs. We know what makes good design, and we know how to avoid the pitfalls that can lead to bad design.
Whether you’re looking for a complete fit-out of a new office build, a comprehensive redesign or simply want to make adjustments to your existing office, then we can help.
To find out more about office design and furniture services, call 01922 453 488 or email sales@flowoffice.co.uk.