If you’re interested in increasing productivity at the office, you may not need to look any further than their workstations. Studies have shown that between 40 – 60% of all interactions in the workplace take place between employees working in close proximity. This is great for groups that get along on a personal level and work together well, but what about employees for whom static seating may not have them located in the optimal place as far as productivity is concerned? This can include employees isolated from other members of their team, as well as employees who have no mutual commonalities or connection with their neighbors. To combat these types of problems, some offices are now incorporating the idea of floating workstations – a concept that allows and encourages employees to move their workstations around your office as needed to maximize productivity. Most commonly, people who naturally work together well and get along the best will group together. With such a large portion of workplace interactions occurring with nearby associates, this will help improve employee satisfaction and encourage a more synergetic atmosphere.
5 Steps For Reconfiguring Your Office’s Seating
If you feel that reorganizing your office’s seating system may help increase productivity, here are five crucial steps to follow to improve your chances of success:Make Sure It's Feasible
Make sure that your office is a logical candidate for change. If the feasibility of moving offices frequently is unpractical, perhaps a static seating arrangement is right for your company. On the other hand, if employees can easily move their office possessions and equipment with little effort, floating workstations may be a great choice.Look For Setups That Make Sense
Examples are departments which interact with each other often or members of teams who need could benefit through easier collaboration. When conducting online training courses with your employees, seating employees going through the training together can help improve understanding through their social collaboration.Consider How It Will Affect Morale
Before finalizing any new seating plans, consider how they will affect your employees’ morale. Despite your best intentions, moving an employee from a corner office or window seat to less desirable surroundings could have a negative impact upon their attitude and contentment at work.Create Social Areas
If switching to floating workstations is not feasible in your office, creating specified social areas such as common break areas or game rooms can help form social bonds between employees all throughout your company. Employees able to relax and shed work-related stress are happier and more productive throughout the day.Try Short-Term Changes
In order to maximize your employees’ understanding of their jobs and how they contribute to the company as a whole, consider short-term seat changes for just a couple of days so that employees get to interact with various departments and understand their functions and importance. Many offices who have implemented a system of floating workstations have noticed a vastly improved atmosphere among employees through proven improvements in morale and productivity. Before rushing into a plan to switch over your office’s configuration, be sure to put serious through into the practicality of this seating arrangement in your workplace. Even for companies in which changing offices frequently may not be the easiest to implement, creating a common place for employees to socialize and interact with each other will help improve collaboration throughout your business. If floating workstations are a possibility for your office, put careful thought to the most beneficial seating arrangements. When in doubt, try letting your employees choose their seating (while still overseeing and monitoring productivity levels). More often than not, good employees will group themselves together much more effectively than when simply utilizing traditional static seating arrangements. Enjoy this article? You've got time for another! Check out these related articles:- Hump Day Treat: 5 Quick Tips For Better Productivity
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