IS YOUR OFFICE SPACE KEEPING UP WITH TRENDS??

18 Dec IS YOUR OFFICE SPACE KEEPING UP WITH TRENDS??

The configuration of office spaces are constantly evolving and we want to ensure our clients are aware of those trends so that they can make an educated decision on whether to incorporate them into their space. But we think we have a strong idea of what people love – go visit the offices of the “Top 50 places To Work” in Atlanta (of whom we represent several) and you will see consistent design details and space layouts in all of them, thus ensuring a space reflective of the underlying employee and company culture.

Some of the Trends we are Seeing and Love:

• Open Floor Plates: As boomerang employees and freelance contractor begin to dominate the workforce in the “sharing economy”, companies require space that can expand and contract seamlessly with their respective growth & needs, making versatility of the open areas of space and closed offices/break out rooms more important than ever. Large open floor plates with non-intrusive cores and columns provide flexibility to accommodate moveable work spaces with high density configurations, along with multi-purpose collaboration areas. However, it is important to remember, if you go with an open and loft configuration, sound travels, so it’s imperative to incorporate soft furniture elements and ceiling height variations to help reduce sound travel.

• Let The Light Shine In: Offices of the past traditionally placed the “private office employees” in offices on the glass and the employees in cubes or workstations on the interior blocked from the light like Vampires. The challenge is, with many operations, those on glass, while executive level employees, may represent a minority of the total head count. While executive level employees are still taking down the best window offices, many companies are reversing the trends of the past, by placing most of the offices on the interior with glass inserts for views out to the window line, but the majority of the workforce is now getting access to the light once reserved only for the elite. Abundancy in natural light should always be high in almost any real estate evaluation, as the tangible benefits of an open space with large windows and unobstructed views and sunlight are proven up lifters in an employee’s mindset and productivity. Natural light not only creates a healthier and more attractive in office ambiance, but it can boost productivity, stimulation, and job satisfaction long term.

• Fun Zone: Bringing employee lounge areas with large flat screens or gaming areas such as Pop a Shot, Shuffle Board, or Ping Pong Table to name a few, is an ever-growing trend in trying to blend the balance of hard work with stress release items often enjoyed outside the office, and bring them into the office. More than ever, we are seeing Tenant’s truly focus on these “Fun Zone” areas or even incorporating them into a more collaborative and inviting Break Room. We love it and are in full favor of it, as we believe these small gathering components encourage collaboration and social interaction amongst employees that lead to a closer-knit firm which helps establish a fun culture and bond amongst employees. Sure, every piece of square footage you lease is spaces that costs real dollars as part of the rent, so creating an efficient collaborative space is imperative, but it also signals an opportunity to show appreciation to the employees by investing back into the space and them by providing them a creative outlet within the office.