Signs Your Space Works Against You and What To Do About It

In some workspaces, the points of failure are obvious, such as having too few desks to support hybrid workers or a lack of storage. Unfortunately, they can still have an outsized effect on employee productivity and morale.

Here, we’ll explore important signs to watch for in your office or workspace, the impact they can have, and critically, how you can fix them.

Don’t Ignore Symptoms of a Failed Layout

Some symptoms of a layout that isn’t working very well are easy to spot, like supplies that don’t have a home, or a desk that juts out into a walkway. But they usually don’t tell the full story.

When a space isn’t working, some of the best clues are in the behaviors of people operating within it. Most people act with intention at work, so their behavior is probably the result of a decision or a choice to solve a conscious or unconscious problem, even if that solution is temporary or not ideal.

What people aren’t doing is as important as what they are doing. For example, if most staff avoid a certain space, that avoidance is just as telling as when everyone vies for certain, more comfortable chairs at the conference table.

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Decoding What the Behaviors and Patterns Mean

Stacks of boxes stashed in a hallway and “hot desk” workstations that never get used are frustrating, but these things may occur for a variety of reasons. To really solve problems, you need to get to the underlying cause of the behaviors that precede these situations.

If it’s not obvious why patterns of behavior are developing, make notes about the specific situation, but don’t stop there.

Employee Feedback Points to Solutions

There’s danger in assuming why a behavior occurs, especially if you’re not fully familiar with the larger context, such as specific job duties, group dynamics, or procedures. Without this kind of background knowledge, the odds are good that you’ll guess wrong.

It’s best to take the list of observations to the employees involved with them, whether that’s a single person, team, or the whole organization. There are two goals for feedback:

1. Checking your understanding of the behaviors and what causes them.
2. Learning what solutions they propose.

Not only does this approach allow for brainstorming and uncovering larger patterns or problems, but it also reduces the risk that solutions will cause more problems.

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Fixing Layout Problems Starting With Root Causes

What’s causing a problem isn’t always obvious at first glance. Discussing the situation and inquiring why it happens is a critical step in drilling down into a problem for a lasting solution.

For example, if boxes are chronically stacked in the hallway, they create a physical bottleneck, a tripping hazard, and make it harder to find the items inside, since they are not where they’re supposed to be stored. It’s a clear problem that needs a solution.

Everyone can agree that a stack of boxes in the middle of the hallway is a problem, but simply moving the stack won’t necessarily prevent a similar problem in the future. That’s because it’s not clear exactly why they ended up there in the first place.

There are multiple possible reasons:

Follow Through and Follow Up

Once a solution is identified, it’s time to test it out. Make a list of all the steps involved in making the change, from scheduling and completing repairs or decluttering, to moving or replacing furniture, to helping each other remember to adopt new procedures or systems.

After a few weeks, reconvene to see how the solution is working (and to make sure it isn’t causing new challenges). This is also a good time to make adjustments and make temporary changes to schedules or the physical layout permanent.

Common Symptoms of Layout Failures, Clarifying Questions, and Solutions

Each workspace is unique, which means problems with layout and workflow are never one-size-fits-all. The table below summarizes some typical behaviors and issues many offices face, and tips for analyzing and resolving them.

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A layout that doesn’t support productivity undermines everyone’s work and morale. Instead of quick fixes that don’t last or that just create more challenges, take the time to dig into the behaviors that arise and learn what drives them. That’s the key to solutions that last.

The team at Office Basics has over 35 years of experience with office layout planning, assessment, and configuration. If you’re looking for solutions, want to visualize different design options, or don’t quite know where to start, contact us!

FAQs

How can I determine which type of layout will work best for my organization?

The type of work performed is a big indicator, including how frequently you have visitors or clients in your office, if collaboration and meetings among employees are common, and if you have many remote or hybrid employees. Gathering feedback from employees will also help determine what kind of layout they find the most productive. Check out our blog for additional considerations.

We’re interested in an open-plan layout, but will it be too loud to get work done?

Factors like the number of employees, the amount of meetings and phone calls, and even carpet and furniture choices, impact acoustics and noise levels. Adding carpeting, curtains, or modular panels helps by absorbing and blocking sound. Or, consider adding work pods or similar private workspaces to ensure there are always quiet areas available. Our blog has more tips on how to make open office plans work.

How much space should we allocate for each employee’s workspace?

While the amount of total square footage in your office is always a limiting factor, each person should have enough room to sit comfortably at their desk and push their chair back enough to get up easily. A more dense layout, with less than about 40 sq. ft. per workstation, will probably feel cramped, and many open office plans target 60 or more sq. ft. Semi-private and private office spaces are usually larger, especially when shared or if they will contain tables, storage, or additional furniture. Think about 75 to 100 or more sq. ft. in these cases.

How long will our office layout redesign take?

Plan on at least 8 weeks or longer if any demolition, construction, rewiring, plumbing, painting, or carpeting work is included. The longest phases are generally ordering furnishings and waiting for delivery, as well as physically rearranging and moving in. Avoid starting a redesign during especially busy periods if you can, so people are more likely to have some time to spend on the project.

It may be tempting, but don’t skimp on the assessment and brainstorming phase, since it takes time for the best ideas to emerge, and employees are more likely to buy into change when they’re involved.