What Is Office Space Planning? Why Is It Important For Any Business To Consider?

What is office space planning?

Put simply, office space planning is an interior design method that arranges office layouts so that employees are able to work together in departmental or team groupings. This provides them with the best opportunity to create an efficient workflow, communication and supervision. The main aim is to increase productivity, whilst still maintaining (and often, improving) the quality of work produced; improving an employee’s enjoyment of their workday is key in realising these aims.

• Redefining the office space. Faced with the need to refurbish their office interiors, many a business may look towards relocating to what they may see as a more suitable office space. Whilst this certainly does have its benefits, what if their current office already has everything they need? It may be in a great location or have a favourable rental rate, for example.
  
  The great thing about office space planning is that a business does not have to move; they can redefine the space to suit their needs, giving the interiors a complete overhaul. This is why it’s important that workplace analytics are undertaken before any decision is made; they can indicate whether the current space can be used better.

• People planning. The greatest asset of any business is the very people who keep it moving towards success; so wouldn’t it make sense to include their views on what they would constitute as their ideal working environment? By creating an office design that the employees have had a big say in, not only will this shape it better to how they work, but it will also make them appreciative, making them feel more involved and allow them to grow an attachment to the company. Planning with people is simply the best way to ensure that a business cultivates a creative, collaborative and ultimately, productive, workspace.

• Potential for future growth. Redefining the office space is also a great way to ascertain how much room there may be for future expansion. Workplace analysis is able to raise questions about the business, its clients and what it wants to achieve. Once these factors are known, the office layout can be planned so that the space can be adapted to growth and promote the behaviours amongst existing staff that will lead to success.

• Attract (and keep) talented people. One of the major drivers of business success is that the company has a settled workforce that is pulling together in the right direction. Unfortunately, many a company will experience high staff turnover rates, which is often down to the environment they experience in work. Putting it plainly, if a talented person feels like they cannot display their abilities, they’ll grow frustrated and unhappy, often leading to stress and absenteeism, and eventually, a resignation.
  
  By people planning with their office interiors; shaping them towards nurturing skills, instead of potentially obstructing them, a business can attract talented people to the company and keep them together as it strives for success.

• Less future cost. Like with any managed property, the true key to its value is the amount of money it will cost in regards to its long-term maintenance. Great office space planning will make concessions for most things that would otherwise cost extra with a ‘fixed’ design. Cost is a major reasoning why many a business doesn’t expand or improve its interiors to suit its employees working practices; by using space planning to create a long-term strategy, the need to expand or to introduce new technologies (for example) can be easily introduced into the office, without any future overhaul needed, bringing down future costs.