In a previous article “Why You Need A Professional Office Design Company For Your Next Office Refurbishment” we talked about why it’s important to engage with an office design company when you’re thinking about your next office refurbishment. In this article we look at why collaboration with your chosen office design company is key if your office refurbishment is to be successful.
Business Insight Plus Experience and Expertise Is Key
All good office design companies will have built up experience and expertise in developing office designs for many businesses. These designs will focus on business and staff needs and processes, be aesthetically pleasing and translate your requirements into the right design for your company while making the best use of the workspace. They will put their knowledge to good use to make sure your final design and refurbishment is right for your business.
However, the process of designing a workspace needs not only the expertise of the design company but it also needs the input of the business. Without this input and collaboration an office design is likely to fail. That’s why collaboration between the business and office design company is vital throughout the project.
The office designer will bring with them their design experience, the business will contribute to a number of areas including insight into business processes, layout requirements in terms of the number of staff that need to be accommodated; how those staff work together (in teams, individually or a mix of both) and whether privacy is important.
Bringing Together Stakeholders
Where possible it’s a good idea to bring together as many of the stakeholders, who will be impacted by a new office refurbishment, during the planning stage of the project. In most cases this should include management, employees and the office design company.
By involving everyone together who has a stake in the way your office will function, look and feel you are more likely to create a workspace that meets everyone’s needs, is practical and functional and enables staff to work efficiently and effectively in a welcoming environment.
Designing A Space To Meet All Needs
When managers, employees and an office designer are involved in the design process you’ll leverage unique perspectives.
A manager will understand the big picture and know what work and processes will be required throughout the company while an employee will understand the most efficient way to get their work done, what they’ll need to do the work in terms of space and equipment and what individuals or teams they’ll need to communicate with.
The designer will understand the latest design trends and have industry knowledge and insights into what will work and look good in your office space. They’ll know the right suppliers and materials to use to achieve the desired design. They’ll also know how long the work will take and what legal considerations need to be adhered to.
By combining needs, preferences, and knowledge it will help to ensure that the newly designed workspace will meet your business and staff needs, be fully functional and make the best use of the available workspace.
Sense Of Ownership
By involving staff in the process, you are more likely to get their buy-in as they’ve been consulted and they’ll know their opinion is valued. This will also help to promote a sense of ownership in the workplace which can help to promote a positive work environment and increased job satisfaction which in turn will have a positive impact on staff morale and productivity.
Staff Retention and Recruitment
With the right design, you increase your chances of retaining staff and recruiting the right candidates when you’re looking for new employees. Involving your current employees at the design stage of a new refurbishment means the finalised office design is more likely to reflect your employees needs and therefore be attractive to them and new staff.
As previously mentioned, when staff are involved staff morale is likely to increase and there is nothing more attractive than a happy workplace when it comes to recruitment.
More Ideas To Inform The Office Design
More perspectives are more likely to produce a larger range of innovative and creative ideas alongside the knowledge of the work and processes that are currently carried out within the business. In turn this can help to improve decisions on what will work and what won’t work, leading to a better office refurbishment outcome.
The office design company will be able to take these ideas and validate them or improve upon them to the benefit of the final design and the business.
Foster Teamwork and Communication
Another benefit of involving everyone in the process is that collaboration can lead to improved communication and teamwork across your company. It can also help employees feel their voice is important when it comes to putting forward ideas in the future when other work projects are being carried out.
Defining Business Needs
Of course, the ultimate aim is to put together an office design which will meet the needs of the business and staff. This means each element of the new office space must be defined such as the layout, fixtures and fittings, colour scheme and lighting and ventilation.
Much of this will be driven by the work being done and the processes needed to drive the work such as do staff need privacy to do their work, is work more team based, who needs to talk to who on a daily basis and what departments work together. It’s therefore important for managers and staff to communicate this to the office design team so that there is an understanding of the type of layout that will best benefit the business and work it carries out.
It’s clear that collaboration is vital when it comes to ensuring a new office is right for the business and its staff.
JBH Refurbishments, Experts In Office Design
JBH Refurbishments have over 30+ years experience in office design, design and build, office fit out and office refurbishments. From your brief, to putting together a project plan, to developing your office design and layout to delivering your office fit out JBH Refurbishments will provide piece of mind. Contact us via our contact form or by calling us on 0333 207 0339 today for a free on site consultation.
