Does your workspace furniture improve productivity and spark creativity in your employees? Find out more about collaborative workspaces right here.
Working on your latest deadlines can now happen in the company of a gorgeous mountain view or from the fun and frolic of the beach. The COVID-19 pandemic has worked wonders in terms of breaking barriers and constraints related to work and the requirements of a fixed workspace in an office. For those not brave-hearted enough to take on a drastic change in terms of travelling and those stuck due to fields of work that require them to be in the workspace, a less intensive way to break the monotony is working in a collaborative workspace.
A collaborative workspace is one where the members of a team or even multiple teams can sit and brainstorm or simply interact and work on projects together, essentially without the division of a separate workspace for each member to restrict the free flow of ideas. A very simple example of a collaborative workspace is the famous staff room for teachers in school. It gives them space to interact and work on tasks like grading or simply on individual tasks but in the company of other colleagues. Many offices, in a bet to increase productivity in the workspace, have commenced with the establishment of the same. This blog takes you through some of the collaborative workspace furniture items that can help in making the idea of collaboration an integral component of your modern office design.
The Pillars Of Collaborative Workspaces
Collaborative working space can not be expected to reach its expected productivity levels if it is not suitably designed. Though the concept inches toward increasing communication, a workspace needs the proper foundation to be truly collaborative. Here are the pillars of a collaborative workspace.
Physical Space
Every employee has individual preferences as to how they ideate and work and what environment suits them best. In contrast, one employee may like working in the company of background music; his/her coworker may prefer absolute silence for clarity of thoughts. This is why a division of physical spaces allowing people to work where they want and in the way they want is optimal for ensuring harmony and productivity in the workspace.
Comfort
From lighting to acoustics, furniture to the floor plan, collaborative spaces most certainly need to be synonymous with comfort. Appropriate arrangements of formal and informal working spaces and transform your modern workspace into a more collaborative one, thus encouraging productivity.
Optionality
With the vast number of people who will share this collaborative workspace, the space needs to be accommodative of a multitude of needs; for example, this means using workspace furniture of various types and heights so that everyone feels comfortable and welcome. This will cater to the many personalities you’re bringing together.
Ideal Furniture For Collaborative Workspaces
Now that you know the aspects needed to create a collaborative workspace let’s discuss the types of furniture like workspace furniture, chairs, and tables that help create these workspaces.
Height Adjustable Desks
This is a workspace component that is becoming more and more popular. Studies hold true the claim that concentration and productivity improve with the help of a change in posture. Furthermore, no furniture can be one size fits all, so having some variation can actually increase comfort and thus improve the general mood and attitude towards workspaces.
Cluster Desks
One of the most popular set-ups is the four-person cluster desk in open-plan offices. They offer the prospect of having an individualized workspace simultaneously while also keeping colleagues close enough to facilitate interaction and collaboration.
Shielded Workspaces
In the bustle of a collaborative workspace, sometimes privacy and quiet are paramount to be able to reflect on and take action on the points discussed collaboratively. These provide the perfect private working zone when individuals need to focus without distractions like working on an important presentation in solitude.
Common Brainstorming Area
An L-shape seating configuration with additional mobile seating options ensures the space caters to both large and small groups. There are also plenty of acoustic products that can be installed to help ensure noise from larger groups doesn’t disturb the rest of the office.
Informal Meeting Spaces
If meeting rooms are like gold dust in your office, this informal meeting hub provides a perfect space for small meetings to convene. It frees up important meeting room time and encourages collaborative working by removing the fear that colleagues’ conversations would disrupt the rest of the workplace. Even when simply used as a working space, it creates opportunities for employees from one department or team to interact with and simply get to know co-workers they otherwise do not interact with.
Informal Dining Spaces
This component encourages employees to take a break by providing them with a dedicated space to relax, eat and talk to each other using simply designed workspace furniture. There are various ways to encourage workers to join colleagues for a quick catch-up and a cuppa with an informal, contemporary dining space, e.g. one using a bench and stool set-up, or alternatively, a café setting that invites people to pull up a chair.
Modular Wall Systems
Modular wall systems allow you to divide your office space more easily. These movable walls allow you to rearrange the office as needed to fit your growing team. Fit them with a soft board or whiteboard, and you have created just the perfect area for brainstorming for your team, in turn also reducing the need for a formal space where the team would need to meet; this tool allows them to have brilliant streaks of imagination even in the common team dining space for example.
Greenscape The Area
Bringing nature inside through plants can help reduce stress and lead to happier employees. The ease of doing the same means the process is actually pretty achievable. Further, plants are an easy way to help reduce carbon dioxide and remove toxins from the air, which increases oxygen and can help people think more clearly and feel better. Making use of hanging and floor-based plants to spruce up the office will serve dual benefits by ensuring that all office space is effectively used up and that there is an easy way to add freshness and colour to your office. If and when sourced locally, this initiative will become beneficial even for local small vendors and shops.
Create Well-Lit Workspaces
In a bid to boost productivity and create an employee-friendly environment, ditch the old fluorescent lighting for better head fixtures and natural lighting whenever possible. Focusing on the task that needs to be accomplished in the area can help choose light; keep in mind the lighting types, like overhead LED and maybe the occasional chandelier to fancy up your workspace. Another example could be pendant lighting that can be added above a seating area to define the space. Pendant lighting, which is often arranged to extend from the ceiling closer to surfaces, can create an atmosphere conducive to teamwork in less formal settings, such as a long, open table. This type of lighting can also help with wayfinding in open spaces to indicate where shared spaces are located.
Create Outdoor Workspaces
In a way, outfitting open-air spaces with outdoor workspace furniture to be useful work environments is a drastic evolution in terms of how we picture the open office. There are, however, the many curveballs of nature that need to be kept in mind, including the sun, rain, wind, heat and cold during the planning of its design and layout. This approach is a clever departure from bringing the outdoors inside and involves literally bringing the office outside.
Create The Perfect Collaborative Workspace To Boost Productivity
To conclude, when done right, your collaborative space may feel like the least work-oriented part of your workplace yet drive some of the best work. Your environment will be more productive if it makes it easier for people to come up with ideas and work together. Try to keep the mood high with positive energy and open exchange of ideas.
So, if you want to enhance your company’s performance and spark creativity within your employees, we at ANS can help as collaborative workspace consultants. For more information, contact our team now!
