Office "Open Space" - the basics and principles of organizing the workspace.

The open space format is gaining popularity, but at the same time it does not cause delight among company personnel. Our review contains examples of creative and comfortable offices in this format.

Open space (open space)– is considered a modern format for organizing office space. In the minds of many, this is a huge room where someone is constantly talking on the phone, colleagues are discussing work issues, and printing documents. By definition, it cannot be cozy there, it is difficult to concentrate, and the entire space resembles a buzzing beehive.
The format is gaining popularity, but at the same time it does not cause delight among company personnel.
But if competent architects and designers get down to business, and the company is focused on the comfort of its employees, then open space becomes the place where work is easy, simple and with maximum comfort.

DROPBOX Inc. – cloud service company
Location: San Francisco
Design: Studio Rapt
PHOTO: Kara BRODGESELL FOR DROPBOX

Dropbox is a company that is growing at a rapid pace and opening new offices around the world. But its headquarters in San Francisco, which the company moved into in February 2012, remains an indicator of the brand's philosophy. “Just as Dropbox products are the home for your data, we want the Dropbox office to be a home for our employees,” says Molly Strong, the company's design coordinator. “We want it to be a truly amazing experience for everyone who works here.”

In working with the design studio to design the office space, Dropbox wanted to reflect flexibility as much as possible - both as a philosophy to support the company's future growth and as the ability for its employees to shape their work environment. Each employee or project team can freely create their own workspace - access to data from anywhere in the office makes this easy and simple.

LIVEFYRE
Location: San Francisco
Design: Studio O+A
PHOTO: JASPER SANIDAD

When O+A set out to create the new San Francisco headquarters for media company Livefyre, the goal was to highlight the company's youth and imbue the space with a natural warmth. Specialists used not only the color scheme to create their plan, but also the texture of the wood.

The office's blue and beige walls and ceilings reflect the brand's colors in the physical space. There is plenty of space for collaborative work areas. But the engineering team also worked hard to create quiet workspaces for singles. This part of the office uses felt on the ceiling, which deadens noise while promoting a cozy atmosphere.

The company's lobby has a large multimedia screen and a reception table that can be transformed into a bar counter. This is also a reflection of the company's philosophy: a brand is not a logo on the wall, but an office imbued with a sense of brand and filled with people and their ideas.

EVERNOTE
Location: San Francisco
Design: Studio O+A
PHOTO: JASPER SANIDAD

When Evernote, an organizational software company, decided to increase the square footage of their office and move from one floor to two, they had no idea how to keep the space cohesive. The architects created an unusual way to connect the floors, and made the staircase useful and multifunctional. It's not just a staircase, it's also a multi-level seating area where employees can gather informally, or en masse - say, for a corporate meeting.

The architects also found an interesting solution for the reception area. Because The reception staff are not employed full time; it was proposed to place a bar counter in the entrance area. The bartender - who is also the office manager - can show the guest where to go, and also prepare him or the employees something to eat.

The company's management initially decided not to spend a lot of money on redesigning the office space. Therefore, the company of architects focused on simple and clean lines and solutions, and a few “tricky” touches were added in the final design. For example, a wall with plants appeared in the recreation area. It is also worth noting that the furniture that is placed here is more “home” than standard office. Such a simple move allows employees to feel the comfort of “home” and truly relax and unwind.

GOOGLE
Location: Dublin
Design: Carmenzind Evolution
PHOTO: CAMENZIND EVOLUTION

Google's Dublin office is the company's European center for finance and sales, spanning four buildings. Due to the fact that the company’s staff is international, and several languages are spoken in the office, it was decided not to embody cultural traditions in the design, but to reflect the philosophy of the company itself.

Innovation doesn't always happen at your desk. When designing the Google offices in Dublin, architecture studio Carmenzind created communal spaces with a lot of character. For example, this green room, which simultaneously resembles a cafe and a conference room. The company believes that an employee should not drink coffee every day in the same place. The purpose of creating such spaces is to encourage people to move around within the building.

Stimulating creativity through playgrounds at Google's corporate offices is widely seen as a whim of management. But the company thinks differently. There are a lot of young guys and girls working at Google. But they are modern, educated people and know how a break helps in their work. Playing games or going to the pool are great for their thinking and creativity.

ZENDESK
Location: San Francisco
Design: Design Blitz
PHOTO: ZENDESK

Zendesk's spacious office is decorated in the brand's signature green color. Individual workstations and long desks for collaboration reflect what designer Seth Hanley calls a "clean, Scandinavian aesthetic." The green moss wall—that's living, breathing moss—visually connects the two floors, giving a feeling of Hygge, a Danish word that translates to "cozy."

Zendesk's headquarters space is designed to be "airy, charming, unassuming, and uncomplicated." This is the aesthetic embodiment of the brand itself, whose philosophy is a friendly and serious attitude to its work. The staircase in the photo above is the transition from the basement rooms to the steel part of the building. At the same time, it serves as a place of relaxation for employees.

The business centers of the AB GROUP Holding have office premises where tenants can safely use the open space format to create a workspace for their employees. If you need an office in St. Petersburg, you can select options on the page

Not long ago the offices various kinds companies, financial structures and associations resembled a closed labyrinth with many offices and endless corridors. This principle of organizing the workspace implied a clear delineation of functional zones, as well as a clear division into “dominant” and “subordinate”. But is such a concept effective in modern business conditions?

Today, more and more companies - already established and just starting out - are striving to create the most comfortable working conditions for all team members and are designing offices according to a completely different concept: the concept of open space (or Open Space). What is good about this concept and what are its disadvantages? Let's find out together.

Advantages of Open Space offices

First, an open office design allows employees to freely share information, discuss work plans, and have team discussions. The absence of walls helps to unite the team and raise corporate spirit, which has a beneficial effect on labor productivity.

Secondly, this type of organization allows managers to more effectively control the work of subordinates. Office premises are often designed in such a way that each employee is in full view of the manager. On the one hand, this does not provide an opportunity to evade their direct responsibilities, and on the other, it puts everyone on the same level, where the chief manager or director works together with the team, on equal terms.

Thirdly, Open Space office interior design promotes more open interaction with clients. Entering a room where there are no walls or cramped corridors, a person does not have the slightest doubt about the honesty of the company. Every employee, every table and other interior items are clearly visible. This is one of the main keys to building trusting relationships with clients.

Fourthly, this concept allows you to make the most efficient use of the entire usable office space. Think about how much free space you can use to organize various functional areas, how many workspaces you can add?! And all thanks to the absence of outlived walls and corridors.

Fifthly, open spaces allow interior design to be carried out according to the most modern requirements, taking into account the individual needs of companies. For example, modern offices are often arranged according to the “semi-closed” principle, where each employee’s workplace is separated by a low, lightweight partition (glass or plastic). This provides, on the one hand, a feeling of isolation, and on the other hand, does not create barriers to open communication and exchange of information.

Another design option is an open space with a clear distribution of functional areas. Every modern office should have not only a work area, but also a lounge, conference room, reception area and other areas. To clearly define these zones, movable or stationary partitions are installed, which provide the necessary comfort and isolation.

Another popular way to design an office is a combination of open and closed areas. The organization of workplaces for ordinary employees is usually carried out according to the principle of open space, while places for managers are enclosed by glass partitions (most often the entire height of the room).

Disadvantages of Open Space Office Space

Along with all the advantages of open spaces, office interior design of this type is not acceptable for every company. Why? It's all about the lack of sound insulation. The sound of keys when working at a computer, conversations with clients, and telephone conversations create acoustic discomfort. Such “working” noise can cause a decrease in work efficiency, especially in activities that require increased concentration (for example, accounting). Therefore, for such organizations, the most optimal solution is a combined or traditional “office” office.

A person’s work activity can be organized in different ways, depending on the field of activity of the company where he works. The most common form of organizing the work process today is the office. In a developed society, most people work here. There are various office configurations, one of them is the Open space type.

Definition of Open Space

Open space is a type of office space layout in which workplaces are located in one large room and separated from each other by thin partitions. This type has become popular in America. It became widespread in the middle of the 20th century. Today, more than 90% of US office employees work in such premises. Gradually, offices of this type are being “captured” by Russian organizations.

Pros and cons

The systematic increase in the number of such offices is primarily due to a large number of advantages.

Among the main advantages are:

Saving on rent. Most organizations rent premises to conduct their activities. Open Space helps to accommodate employees much more compactly than is achieved with an office-corridor type. Accordingly, a smaller area means lower costs.
Convenient interaction between employees. The proximity of employees to each other helps to quickly solve problems that arise. There is no need to run around different offices wasting a lot of time.
Improved control. An open space does not allow an employee to engage in extraneous activities, since at any moment he can be caught doing so by his boss.
Team spirit. Open space makes employees feel equal. Open office to a large extent reduces the possibility of forming small closed groups.
Unity. Open space helps team members feel like a single whole. The overall focus on achieving the goals is increasing. Employees gain a sense of shared responsibility.
Adaptation of newcomers improves. An integral part of the work process is the emergence of new links in it. Employees who have just begun their duties can easily turn to any experienced person for help. The newcomer also gets to know the entire team in a short time.
Documentation times are reduced. All papers are in one place, so there is no need to collect them in offices.
Reduced equipment costs. The compact arrangement of workstations allows you to save at least on connecting wires. Savings are also obtained on office equipment.
Increased customer confidence. According to research, on a subconscious level, clients trust companies with open space office layouts more.

Like any phenomenon, Open space offices have their drawbacks:

Noisy environment. In any place where a lot of people gather, with the possible exception of a library, a noisy environment is created, which does not have the best effect on the performance of employees; noise has a particularly strong effect on people with low stress resistance.
Stress. Constant noise and lack of personal space for the nervous systems of some employees become a real test. In most cases, this negatively affects the performance of the team, and the emotional background as a whole can worsen.
Theft. In this case, we do not mean the theft of personal belongings, but the disappearance of work items such as pens, paper, stapler, etc.
Increased conflicts. Each person has his own individual characteristics. It is very difficult to find a compromise on any issue with a large number of interested people. It’s trite, but it’s very difficult to decide whether to open a window on a not-so-hot day or not.
Spread of diseases. In places where large numbers of people gather, airborne diseases spread much faster. An open office arrangement directly contributes to the spread of diseases in the team at an accelerated pace.

Employee reviews

In the United States of America, many researchers have studied the comfort of working in Open Space offices. According to studies, the majority of employees claim that they lack personal space.

Many also complain about indoor climate conditions. Most of all, employees complain about the noisy environment in this type of office. The noise makes it difficult for them to concentrate.

How to increase employee productivity in the Open Space zone?

If productivity in this type of office leaves much to be desired, there are a number of measures that can help increase it:

Smart room layout. The first step is to tackle the interior layout of the office. It is better to abandon standardization of the workplace in favor of diversity. It is necessary to give employees the choice of where it is most convenient for them to work. In the office space, you need to install a large table for general meetings, and also equip a recreation area not far from the workplace. It is also worth filling the entire office space with plants, but so that they do not interfere with the work process.
Possibility of adjusting the internal environment. All employees must be able to regulate temperature, humidity, and air conditioning. This will create acceptable working conditions for each person.
Refusal of high partitions. High partitions increase the noise level throughout the office, while the effect of increasing personal space is practically impossible to achieve.
Setting the rules. Any large team cannot do without a set of rules that will regulate the attitude of colleagues towards each other. For example, it is worth recommending to introduce special signs, prohibit listening to music without headphones, talking loudly, etc.
Leadership should be closer to the “people”. Typically, managers allocate a separate office for themselves, while employees work in a common space. If a boss sets up a workplace close to his employees and gives up a personal office, he can improve the microclimate in the team, thereby significantly increasing productivity.
A breath of fresh air. Fresh air increases brain activity and also reduces irritation of the nervous system. It also helps fight various diseases. Therefore, it is worth installing supply ventilation in the office, which ensures a regular flow of oxygen.

If you look at a typical rating, approximately 80% of them are open spaces in one form or another. Do open spaces improve productivity? Is it convenient to work there? Journalists from Quartz looked into this issue in detail.

Everything you need to know about “open-space” type offices (in common parlance: stables, open space, etc.).

Three-quarters of Americans work in open-space offices

According to a study by the International Management Facility Association, 70% of US employees work in open-space offices.

Workers in open spaces get sick more often

Compared to colleagues who work in offices, those who work in open spaces are more likely to get sick and take sick leave. In a study conducted by the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, it was found that open space formats lead to employees taking sick leave 62% more often than those who work in a one-person-one-office format. The only logical explanation is that it is easier for viruses and bacteria to find victims in a densely populated office without partitions. Another, indirect, reason is that many people feel uncomfortable in an open space, resulting in stress, illness and other inconveniences.

Employees in open spaces don't like noise

Scientists from the Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute have found that the most important factor that irritates office workers sitting in open spaces is the noise of working printers, phones and conversations. They also determined that the noise factor most affects older employees: after 45 years, it becomes more and more difficult to cope with the endless hum from working computers and phone calls, productivity drops catastrophically.

Open spaces have a negative impact on productivity

A number of studies have shown that those who work in open spaces had decreased motivation, job satisfaction, and lacked privacy. These factors have a detrimental effect on labor productivity.

You can put cool desktops in your open space and give everyone a MacBook, but that won’t help.

Alan Hedge of Cornell University found that special "ergonomic" work desks do not improve productivity. Most employees don't understand how to properly use all this equipment, plus "ergonomic" does not equal "intuitive."

In general, studies show that open spaces can impair productivity by 5 to 15 percent.

On my own behalf, I can add that open spaces can be different, and some can even be pleasant to be in - as long as they are not more than a third full. After the number of free places in an open space coworking space begins to approach zero, the working atmosphere also disappears. “Quiet” zones turn into call center branches, bearded startupers muttering on Skype make the room look not like an office, but like a voodoo temple. Of course, good headphones save you from all this nightmare, but firstly, sitting in headphones for 10 hours in a row is a controversial (and harmful) pleasure, and it works best in silence, which, however, is becoming more and more difficult to find.

I sincerely hope that you are all working in separate offices, dear readers.

According to legend, open workplaces were invented by Potemkin. The statesman was dissatisfied with the laziness of the serfs, and therefore gave a decree on the special placement of outbuildings. They were erected in such a way that the manager could observe the work of each serf. However, open space gained widespread popularity only in the mid-20th century in America. In the 21st century, 90% of American workers work in this type of office. At the moment, open space is becoming more and more common in Russia. Despite their popularity, debates about their feasibility do not subside. Some believe that open workspaces promote corporate spirit, while others believe that they reduce employee productivity.

What is open space?

Open space is a special layout of an office space. All employees are housed in one large room. Workstations are separated from each other by a thin partition. The tables are arranged in rows. You can imagine what open space looks like by remembering American films showing offices. Most often they feature open space.

Advantages

What is the secret of the wide spread of open space? Their undoubted advantages include:

Saving space. A small space can accommodate many employees. There is no need to rent a large area. The economic benefit for the employer is undeniable.
Quick interaction between employees. All work issues are resolved promptly. In order to contact a colleague with a request or question, you don’t need to run around different offices. This is especially important in work that requires efficiency.
The ability to easily control the work of employees. People staying in a separate room tend to get distracted from their work. The manager has virtually no ability to monitor such unauthorized leave. An open office completely solves this problem. Employees have no chance to put off work.
Democratic. This ensures equality for all employees. The likelihood of forming closed communities is reduced.
Maintaining corporate spirit. A common space creates a unified working spirit, which has a beneficial effect on motivation.
Easy onboarding of new employees. Beginners can quickly. On the very first day a person meets his colleagues. If a newcomer has any problems, he can address all questions to experienced employees without unnecessary wandering around the organization.
Simplicity of document flow. All documents are located in one room, and therefore you do not have to search for them in all rooms.

First of all, open space is beneficial to the owner of the organization. The employer does not need to allocate a separate workplace for each employee. It is enough to rent one large room and divide it into zones using partitions. The cost of the latter will not hit the company's budget.

Flaws

Open space has many disadvantages:

Increased noise level. Several dozen workers in one room mean constant noise. Phone ringing, employee conversations, noise from office equipment - all this can literally drive you crazy. It is extremely difficult for an employee to concentrate under such stressful conditions.
Constant stress. Lack of personal space, cramped spaces and noise are all factors that provoke stress and irritability. Of course, this has a negative impact on performance.
Risk of theft. All personal belongings of employees (phones, handbags) are on public display. This may cause workers to fear that they will not have enough of their property.
Probability of conflicts. One person prefers to sit with the window open, another prefers to sit cold. Such little things cause conflicts between colleagues and create a tense atmosphere.
Rapid spread of infectious diseases. All bacteria, infections and viruses are quickly transmitted from employee to employee. According to studies, people get sick more often in open space.

The employer gains in savings on rent, but loses in the productivity of its employees.

What do the employees themselves say?

Open spaces have been operating for quite a long time, and therefore a lot of research has already appeared regarding working in them. Let's look at some of the results:

56% of employees say they lack personal space.
55% of workers do not like the room temperature.
60% lacks silence.

Some studies prove that open space increases the stress level of employees and provokes conflicts. Employees working in open office spaces have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. In addition, such offices experience high staff turnover.

How to increase employee productivity in an open space?

A manager can mitigate the disadvantages of open space by using the following recommendations:

Diverse workspace. It is not recommended to standardize jobs, because each employee has his own individual needs. Some places need to be well insulated; small partitions are placed between other tables. The employee can choose the location that best suits his needs.
Proper placement of common areas. Jobs alone will not be enough to solve everyday problems. It is also necessary to install a large table for joint discussions, provide a relaxation room, and a dining area. All these rooms should be in close proximity to the main work space.
No high partitions. It seems that installing high partitions will solve the issue of personal space. However, this is a misconception. Employees working behind “high walls” will feel like they are alone in the room. This will increase the noise level. Workers in such conditions do not maintain silence and talk loudly.
Approval of rules of conduct. Rules may include a ban on loud conversations and music. Employees should be encouraged to use internal chat more often. You can set a special signal that the employee does not need to be disturbed at the moment.
More plants. Living vegetation in the workplace has been proven to reduce stress levels, increase productivity and focus on work tasks, and create a positive atmosphere.
Placement of executive workplaces in a common space. As a rule, managers are located in a separate office. However, this is not an entirely correct policy. Firstly, the manager will not be able to fully control the work of his employees, and secondly, he will be cut off from the team and will not be able to promptly identify the weaknesses of the work process.

The manager must be interested in the truthful opinions of his employees in order to introduce innovations in accordance with the real needs of the team.

Increasing comfort in a common space is a task not only for the manager, but also for the employees. Employees can use the following guidelines:

Each person can arrange a comfortable personal space themselves. To do this, you can get headphones, place photographs and favorite decorative trinkets on your table.
It is not recommended to eat at the workplace, or use perfume with a strong odor. The mixture of aromas may cause discomfort to neighbors in the room.
Even if the manager has not given special instructions, you must follow the general rules of politeness: speak more quietly, turn down the volume on the phone.

The joint efforts of the owner of the organization and employees will help make even an open space comfortable for work.