Furnishing the office correctly - what do you need to consider?
The optimal furnishing of the office is a question that constantly accompanies companies. Due to a regularly changing working environment - new working models, new legal requirements or changing employee demands on the office - the furnishing of the office must also be regularly adapted to these changes.
The office concept - the foundation for successful work
Conceptual and strategic considerations need to be made before dealing with office furnishing and design issues. After all, an office today is far more than just a collection of workstations. In times of increasing hybrid work, the office must offer employees added value so that they decide against working from home and opt for working in the office. Modern office designs are therefore geared towards the tasks and processes in the company and help to optimize them.
When creating a room concept, two basic questions should be answered.
- How many employees are regularly in the office?
- What tasks do employees have to perform?
How many employees are regularly in the office?
Until a few years ago, the question would have been how many employees the company had. But with the emergence of new working models (keyword remote work), the office landscape has also changed. Employees are increasingly working part-time or making use of the option to work from home. Freelancers are hired for specific projects and are only with the company for a certain period of time. All of this leads to a change in office capacity requirements.
Companies need to take this into account and incorporate it into their office planning accordingly.
What tasks do employees have to perform?
Not all office work is the same. The requirements for office design differ depending on the task area. In general, there has been an increasing trend towards more communication and cooperation in recent years. This means that employees are increasingly working together on projects and tasks require ever closer collaboration within a team as well as across teams. This also needs to be taken into account in the design phase and the office space needs to reflect this.
What different office concepts are there?
The following general office concepts are typically distinguished:
Cellular office
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Open plan office
The counterpart to the cubicle office is the open-plan office. A large number of employees work together in a shared, open space. There are no specific values as to what area or number of employees counts as an open-plan office.
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Group office
The group office is a mixture of cellular and open-plan office. This concept attempts to combine the advantages of both. The aim is to enable effective collaboration and concentrated work at the same time. Separation can take place via permanently furnished rooms or with the aid of mobile partitions.
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Combination offices
The combination office combines different approaches and leads to an individually adapted and optimized design. Individual offices exist alongside multifunctional areas. The multifunctional areas can be designed in different ways and offer café and lounge areas in addition to meeting facilities.
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Open-desk and non-territorial offices
The non-territorial office is a comparatively new concept that has emerged due to the increasing fluctuation caused by new working models. With the desk-sharing approach, workstations are no longer provided for each employee. Instead, employees choose a free workstation as required.
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Each company must find the right solution for its own requirements from these approaches. Although pure forms such as the cubicle office or the group office will continue to exist in the future, in most cases individual office concepts are essential in order to create the optimum working environment for employees.
Suitable equipment for the office
The planned office concept serves to divide the available office space into different rooms. In order for the rooms to fulfill their purpose optimally, appropriate office equipment is required. Which office furniture, technology or work equipment is required depends on the respective area.
Use the following checklist to ensure that your office is properly equipped.
General infrastructure
Regardless of specific concepts, every office needs a functioning infrastructure so that all employees can work without any problems.
In times of advancing digitalization, this includes a high-performance broadband Internet connection. Take into account the number of employees and ensure sufficient transmission speed.
Furthermore, every office needs technology to process documents. This includes printers and copiers (or multifunctional devices) for duplicating documents as well as document shredders for the professional shredding of sensitive documents. Which and how many devices are needed in the office must be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Companies should also pay appropriate attention to security. This starts with an alarm system to prevent theft. For the safety of employees, a fire alarm system and first aid equipment are also part of the equipment.
Many companies are now also taking care of their employees' wellbeing. They show their appreciation for their employees with coffee machines, water dispensers and snack vending machines. Air conditioning or mobile air conditioning units ensure pleasant temperatures in the office during the summer months.
General infrastructure checklist
- Powerful broadband connection
- Document shredders, printers & copiers
- Security devices such as alarm systems, fire alarm systems, emergency equipment
- Coffee machines, water dispensers, snack machines
- Air conditioning, mobile air conditioners
Workplaces
Regardless of whether it is an open-desk policy or a fixed assignment, the workplace remains the primary place for productive and concentrated work. Accordingly, it should also be equipped with everything you need. The minimum requirements for a workstation include a large desk, a comfortable office chair, good lighting and a computer. What else is needed depends very much on the respective area of responsibility and the needs of the employee.
You can find out more about "Optimal workplace equipment" here: Set up your workplace correctly
Workplace checklist
- Large desk
- Comfortable office chair
- Lighting - ceiling lights, floor and table lamps
- Computer
- Storage space as required(mobile pedestals, sideboards, filing shelves)
- Printer, copier
- Accessories (keyboard, mouse, headset)
Conference and meeting rooms
Due to the increasing importance of cooperation and communication between employees, the need for meeting rooms is also growing. In most companies, there is a chronic shortage of conference and meeting rooms.
On the one hand, conference rooms must offer sufficient space for all participants present. A suitable conference table forms the center and gives everyone enough space to sit and for documents and laptops. Comfortable conference chairs ensure that participants can sit comfortably even during longer meetings.
On the other hand, in a modern conference room it must also be possible for external people to take part in meetings. This requires high-quality conference room technology. This includes telephone and video conferencing systems.
Last but not least, there is a need for modern presentation technology that allows project plans and progress to be presented easily and effectively to all participants, such as projectors, televisions or smartboards.
Conference and meeting room checklist
- Conference table
- Conference chairs
- Telephone & video conferencing technology
- Presentation technology such as projectors, televisions & smartboards
Open Space
As a multifunctional space, open spaces are being included in the planning of more and more offices. The spaces can be used flexibly. They are ideal for short meetings with a small number of participants, making them a good addition to conference rooms. With open desks, open spaces are a popular alternative to your own workstation.
The specific equipment requirements for the open space can vary greatly and depend heavily on what the space is to be used for.
To create additional meeting options, you can use phone booths and meeting booths can be placed. Acoustic furniture can also be used to create meeting points that minimize background noise. Supplemented by smartboards, the areas are ideal for discussing projects.
Desks, office chairs and suitable lighting can be used to create flexible workstations.
Open Space checklist
- Phone Booths
- Acoustic furniture (armchairs, sofas)
- Desks
- Office chairs
- Workplace lighting
Lounge area
Lounge areas are also becoming increasingly popular. Guests can expect a pleasant atmosphere in the lounge area while they wait for an appointment. However, a lounge also gives employees the opportunity to relax in a pleasant atmosphere during breaks and quickly switch between work and break mode.
Sofas and armchairs can be used to create comfortable seating landscapes that not only serve as a place to relax, but can also be used for meetings in a relaxed atmosphere. Here too, the meeting point can be expanded with technology such as a smartboard or projector for greater productivity.
Coffee machines and water dispensers can be provided to improve the quality of break time.
Lounge area checklist
- Upholstered seating furniture such as armchairs, sofas & ottomans
- Alternative: Acoustic furniture (armchairs, sofas)
- Meeting technology such as smartboards, televisions, projectors
- Coffee machines, water dispensers, snacks