An Open Office Plan Or Not?
How many of us love our space? We like to be alone in our zone and work! However, some people love to mix with others in an open office plan, and they even get energized through that.
As a startup founder, one of the decisions you have to make is whether to invest in an open office plan or to have separate offices for your team. Both of the options have their advantages and disadvantages, and you have to choose the one that works for you and your team.
Credit: Giphy
Benefits of Open Office Plan
Collaboration becomes more manageable for your teammates. With an open office plan, it becomes easier to access other members of your team within seconds. You can easily pull up a chair and ask for the contributions of your teammates on a particular project. In addition, it becomes easier for your teammates to continue working after they have contributed their quota.
Communication is also faster among your teammates. You can easily pass a notice or an update on a project within seconds. Communication and feedback are quicker and easier. In addition, face to face interaction would significantly increase, and less indirect method of communication would reduce.
Likewise, monitoring is also easier. As a team leader or a startup founder, you can monitor your subordinates and see how productive they are. You are able to gauge productivity to some extent with an open office plan in your startup.
Drawbacks of an Open Office Plan
An open office plan can hinder productivity among your team members, this is because it becomes easier for your teammates to get distracted. For instance, if someone among your team members goes on social media and begins to watch a funny video, he or she can easily share the video with others and others get distracted as well.
No privacy. Everyone and anyone can pull up a chair beside you and look over what you are working on or even pass an unsolicited comment concerning your work. There is simply a lack of privacy and everyone can eavesdrop on your conversations with others.
In conclusion, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of an open office space layout in order to decide t go for it or traditional office spaces. One of the most important things to consider when planning your office space is conduciveness. You have to make sure your workplace is conducive for every employee in order to increase organizational productivity.
What type of office layout do you have in your startup? We would love to hear from you below.
