There are many key benefits of a business move, including reducing overhead costs, improving efficiency, getting closer to customers or suppliers, improving brand and image, and the list goes on
However, there is another important – yet often overlooked – advantage of a business move that should certainly be part of the plan: how to make the office more collaborative. Below, we highlight 4 ways to achieve this goal:
1. Say Goodbye to Cubicles
As reported by Forbes, researches at the University of Sydney confirmed a fact that employees have known for generations: they hate cubicles! And one of their chief complaints is that collaboration is difficult -- and in some cases, impossible given the tiny size of the average cubicle, and the need to keep volume levels down to avoid an epidemic of “shhhhh!”-ing from nearby cubicle-dwellers.
Add it all up, and saying good bye to cubicles and hello to more open spaces can significantly boost collaboration and teamwork. What’s more, cubicles are surprisingly expensive – ranging from a few thousand each, to well over $10,000 for higher-end models – and so keeping them out of your business move plan can be a significantly cost-saving decision, too.
2. Create Breakout Spaces
Breakout spaces are “relax and recharge zones” that are strategically deployed in high traffic areas, such as next to the lunchroom or near the stairwell. While breakout spaces aren’t primarily work areas – they’re more for casual unwinding throughout the day – information exchanges and informal meetings happen, and that directly improves both the quality and quantity of employee collaboration.
3. Use Location Batching
Location batching is based on the idea that specific types of work – such as brainstorming, analysis, research, and so on – are enhanced when they take place in certain locations. This is a departure from the conventional approach, which is to deploy teams/functions in certain areas. With location batching, the space where teams call home is secondary. What they do during the day is what really matters, and as such they move around the office based on what they need to get done.
4. Pay Attention to the Lunchroom!
Last but not least, the lunchroom is far from merely a functional area where employees have a coffee or meal. It’s a time-honored ad hoc meeting space where, in some cases, critically important conversations take place – especially between cross-functioning teams that otherwise don’t connect during the day. As such, as part of a business move it’s wise to design or re-design the lunchroom so that it’s not just functional, but that it also encourages collaboration. This may involve installing a few whiteboards, adding comfortable furniture like couches in addition to tables for eating, and so on.
Learn More
For more business move insights – including additional ways on how to make your office more collaborative – contact the Precision team today. Your consultation with us is free.
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