As we have discussed in our previous blog 4 Tech Companies with Cool Office Designs, more and more companies are switching from traditional offices to more open-space and fun offices. But do you know that aside from fun offices filled with foosball tables, reading nooks, and free snacks, there is also another type of office design that is more focused on the fluidity of workspaces?

The design called “flexible workspace”.

“Flexible workspace” defined

A flexible workspace is a workplace designed to make the workflow in an office faster and more productive, without sacrificing the well-being of the employees. It is focused on providing employees with mobility to reduce the time needed to take in between office tasks. Flexible workspaces are also known for offering fully-functioning services that require only minimal setup and low setup costs.

Advantages of flexible workspaces

Savings

Most companies that choose a flexible workspace design are companies that are still growing, like start-up companies with a lot of part-time employees, or companies which have more work out in the field than inside the office. Instead of wasting money on cubicles and full-on office equipment that will not be used, companies choose to go with a flexible workspace with equipment and features just enough to serve the offices’ primary needs and save the money for more important business matters.

Interaction

With carefully planned office partition panel placement, lowered or no cubicles, and more spaces to walk around and rest, the chance of employees interacting with each other is higher. While others might think that higher employee interaction is counterproductive, Harvard Business Review reports that face-to-face interaction among employees actually increases productivity. Employee interaction during work increases one’s mental well-being and allows for more work collaboration. The more opportunity for employees to relax and brainstorm, the more chances they will be able to come up with

Comfort

Flexibility is mobility and mobility is a comfort. Employee comfort increases employee well-being, job satisfaction, productivity, efficiency, and retention. In other words, a flexible workspace is a healthy workspace.

How to implement a flexible workspace

If you are interested in implementing a flexible workspace, it is highly recommended that you consult a reliable interior fit-out contractor in the Philippines instead of surfing the web for office designs you might like and creating them by yourself. When creating a flexible workspace, it is best to let the professionals handle the work as there might be a need to rearrange the electric wiring network, internet cables, built-in furniture, pipeline, and more. Don’t worry, though—letting the experts handle the work does not mean that you do not have a say with how you want your office to be. In fact, fit-out contractors, architects, engineers, electricians, and carpenters are there to make sure the flexible workspace you desire is as it should be.

Factors to consider

It is possible for a young or a startup company to be blinded by the trend of flexible workspaces. Before you fully decide on adopting a flexible workspace, you have to first consider certain factors. Changing or building an office design is a major matter that will affect your business funds from the remodeling period and for years to come. You must make sure that a flexible workspace is what you, your business, and your employees need—not just some flight of fancy. Major factors you should consider before fully deciding are as follows:

• Budget – it is important that you have enough funds to spend in building a flexible workspace even if this office design is known for being low-cost.
• Available space – floor size has a lot to do with the office layout and office design. Ask yourself if your available office space is too big or too small for the flexible workspace you have in mind.
• Number of employees – as mentioned before, flexible office design is mostly used by companies with a small-to-medium number of employees. If you have too many employees and departments, you might find it hard to execute a flexible workspace design.
• Type of business – of course, only certain types of businesses suit this office design. Businesses with too many process steps and departments may find it difficult to adapt to flexible workspace design. It is not impossible (seeing as other companies like Google and Apple were able to execute it successfully) but it would take a lot of time and a lot of money for a business owner to accomplish.

Going for a flexible workspace has a lot of business benefits but it also begs a lot of things to consider first. If you think that a flexible workspace is what your company and your employees need, consult a reliable fit-out contractor here in the Philippines.