Agile working has become the most effective framework for forward-thinking businesses. There are numerous studies out there highlighting the vast benefits of creating a cohesive space where everyone contributes to a successful working environment.
The agile office space should provide human-centric, flexible working spaces that can be utilised for specific tasks.
Long gone are the days when offices were merely ‘staff containers’, workplaces now focus on nurturing the wellbeing of staff and actively promote flexible furniture, social interaction and collaboration.
Let’s take a look at our 5 tips to creating your own agile office space:
Social interaction
When you think back to offices of old, there was a single hub for lunchtime interaction that would often be overly crowded and noisy. When staff returned to work, it was heads down! Modern offices have stepped away from this model, and now incorporate numerous areas that can be utilised for interaction, meetings and brainstorming.
Google’s HQ in NYC has designed an office space where no one is ever more than 150ft from food! This encourages workers to converge in the café, lounge, breakout area and chat more over food! Some businesses are even implementing pool tables to encourage active collaboration!
By creating a light-hearted collaborative environment, with biophilia and refreshments, workers are at ease and more easily able to converse.
Wellbeing
Happy, healthy employees thrive in a positive working environment that caters to their wellbeing. When you invest in your workforce, you’re rewarded with greater productivity, increased staff resilience, good employee engagement and a reduction in absence.
An agile office space is all about balance; collaboration and interaction versus solitude. There’s a time and place for everything, and an agile office should address that.
Give workers the chance to take some time out when they need to focus, or simply need some headspace. Flexible furniture that features private curved screens and acoustic properties are particularly attractive to those that like a bit of solitude without the background noise.
If greater privacy is needed for intensive work, you can opt for a stunning visual haven that attracts users with ease. Staff benefit from acoustic properties and a cosy hub to hide away from fellow workers for a short while.
The idea is to ensure that you’ve provided a space that can adapt to human behaviour, and time out is essential for everyone at some point during their working week.
Ergonomic furniture
One-size-fits-all doesn’t equate to an office space! Everyone is different, thus requiring different seating, tables and environments. All of this can be adapted with the use of flexible furniture, but ergonomic furniture enables an even greater variety of working arrangements.
Back in the day, everyone sat at their desks for seven hours straight. Over time, that has proven to cause a number of issues such as back and neck pain and weight gain due to immobility.
Modern agile spaces feature stylish, supportive office chairs or armchairs with integrated tablets for optimal comfort. Height adjustable desks are great dynamic desk options that users can adjust accordingly to suit their requirements; ideal for versatility and space efficiency.
Comfort allows your workforce to make the most of their working day. In turn, productivity will increase.
Flexible office design
The modern agile office should be innovative and offer a multitude of options for relaxation, collaboration, quiet space and zoning. Social hubs such as breakout areas are great cohesive places where employees can come together. They key is in choosing agile furniture pieces that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate any type of usage.
Office pods and booths have become a key component of the modern indoor space as they’re a great investment. They’re a highly adaptable workspace where employers can access video calls, private calls and webinars in a quiet, focussed area. However, they can also be utilised for a greater number of users and provide a homely, comfortable area to relax in. The same area can be utilised for a meeting later in the day!
Their ease of reconfigurability (and the associated cost savings this allows) means that a pod can be easily relocated from one part of the building to another if need be; an easy transition that can only be afforded with flexibility.
One piece of furniture. Multiple uses.
Zoning options are also taking the workplace by storm as businesses embrace inventive ways of creating space for impromptu meetings and much needed chill-out time.
Digital focus
To support the new hybrid working model, businesses need to incorporate a digital-first culture to keep workers engaged and productive. This relies on technology that can be accessed through adaptable spaces and well-managed shared spaces if necessary.
Media walls allow you to integrate technology into meeting room areas. As a small, agile unit, they’re a great means of presenting or participating in video calls and conferences without the need for an allocated room or office.
With fixed desking a thing of the past, co-working is at its best is when workers can hotdesk in any suitable area, particularly when they need to jump on a call!
Agile tables with integrated power points make this easy with workers able to plug in and go! The same can be said of smart office pods; employees can connect with people anywhere in a soundproofed environment.
Agile furniture that incorporates technology means that employees in the office and home-based workers, clients or customers can connect as though they’re in the same room!
A final thought for the future of the agile office…
With hybrid working firmly set to stay, businesses are faced with numerous challenges when considering how to create positive, engaging spaces that provide the necessary flexibility and technology. Choosing an agile office is the solution to all of these challenges. It’s just about making smarter, long-term cost effective decisions for your workspace.
Inspired? Please get in touch with a member of Fluid Furniture and we’ll gladly assist you in your plight to creating an agile office space.