If you’ve ever watched HGTV, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “open concept”. A typical space with an “open concept” doesn’t have walls in between rooms. In homes, it’s done to make small spaces feel bigger or to provide a communal space for families to gather. Having no walls between a kitchen and a living room, for example, can make it easier to keep an eye on the kids while their parents make dinner. But what about open-concept office spaces? Does an open concept provide a great way to collaborate with your coworkers, or is it a gateway to distractions? Are there certain kinds of businesses that would do better with a traditional office, and certain businesses that would do better with an open concept? We’ll help you break down some of the pros and cons of setting up an open-concept office and figure out if it’s the right choice for your business.
Pro: Communication and Collaboration
The first reason to consider an open concept when looking for an office space for lease is that an open concept makes it easy to communicate with your coworkers. A lack of walls makes for a nice collaborative space. If you have an idea you want to run by your boss or a question for a coworker, and you’re all working in the same open space, it’s easy to roll your chair over to their desk and have a quick chat. This is especially important for companies that want their employees to feel comfortable talking to their superiors. It’s much less intimidating to simply walk (or roll) over to your boss’s desk and ask them a question than it is to knock on the door of their office.
Con: Potential Distractions
While it can be great to have an easy way to collaborate with your coworkers, the ease of communication can also backfire if you have an easily distracted workforce. It’s easy to roll on over to your coworker’s desk to ask a quick question and end up having a 30-minute-long chat about your weekend plans. In order to tackle this potential downside, you need to know your employees. If you’ve got a staff full of people who are easily distracted, you might want to search for a more traditional office space for rent in your area. However, if your employees are a more focused bunch, you might consider finding an open-concept office space for lease instead.
Pro: Easy to Design and Customize
Another major plus side to an open-concept office is that it’s fairly easy to customize to your liking. Since you don’t have to contend with a bunch of cubicles being in the way, it’s easy to save space by putting several seats at one table or desk, leaving you plenty of room to decorate as you want to. Having an open-concept office can also give you the flexibility to set up several different work areas, perhaps one large communal table for bouncing ideas off of one another and several smaller desks for solitary work. Having that flexibility can be great for creativity as well. Giving employees the freedom to move throughout the office can help change their perspective once in a while and help keep them from getting stuck on projects and assignments.
Con: Lack of Privacy
Sometimes, especially in certain industries, you’ll need to make phone calls or have meetings with confidential information being exchanged. An open-concept office isn’t conducive to this kind of activity, of course- there are some things that you need to be separate from the rest of the office to do. Examples include payroll, performance reviews, and meetings with certain clients. If your industry deals with a lot of confidential information, an open concept may not be right for you. However, if not, you might want to consider a mostly open office, except for one or two offices for those types of tasks.
Are You Open to the Idea of a New Office?
If you’re looking for office space for rent or office space for lease, contact Schwarz Properties! We specialize in commercial and residential Property Management in Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We lead the market for industrial and warehouse spaces for rent, and our portfolio also includes retail space, restaurant space, residential, office space, and many more. Please contact Schwarz Properties at 336-656-2856 or our website.
