Since the digitalization began, the world has changed by leaps and bounds, making influence in all social, economic, and politic aspects that develops the world. But, in 2020, there was a turning point, an event that changed everyone's life and helped the process from analogue to digital to settle down in all aspects.
In this new blog post we will talk about the change in the working model. But, specially, about how offices and workspaces are adapting to a new way of working.
What is hybrid work?
After two years of pandemic, where many people were imposed to teleworking during confinement, a new normal of hybrid work has arrived. But what is hybrid work?
Hybrid work is a model that offers workers the flexibility to perform their job from anywhere (at home, in the office, in a hotel…). As opposed to the teleworking, this version mixes face-to-face work in the office with remote work. In this situation are the companies and organization which delimit the hours/days, of teleworking or face-to-face work, being able to establish calendars or leave it to the free will of workers.
Employees who have the possibility to choose a hybrid working model tend to be more satisfied at work and personal level, and even more productive than colleagues with less flexible jobs in traditional offices. Flexible working offers employees a better work-life balance.
This flexible way of working not only offers to the workers the possibility to work in a way that suits their necessities, also it allows companies to reduce costs and get the most out of their offices layout by maximising the space available. Given that in some moments there’ll be less people in the office, will be easier to create common areas where teams can meet and collaborate in natura way.
What is Open Office Spaces and how can they be implemented?
In the last years, the way to understand the job has drastically changed. Now, the work teams are more diverse, cohesive, work with each other and have more advantages than ever before. In addition, workspaces are no longer the same; now the companies are looking to create collaborative areas where ideas flow and people give their opinions. To this last, is called Open Office Space.
The methodology, or the concept, Open Office Space aims to generate and promote a more collaborative and participative spaces, where the communication between the workers can flow. It will allows to create a more flexible way to work.
Benefits of the Open Office Space
Design an Open Office Space, or that human resources team manage to implement this work methodology, will mark a milestone in the company.
- Space optimization: the working environment is one of the most important aspects, so if we achieve satisfaction with the space, we will help to improve the workers engagement. The design of the space and the way it is configured helps the job performance. Have a functional work office means gain more useful space with a better distribution.
- More collaboration between teams: cuando se trabaja en espacios individuales y con cierto grado de aislamiento, la comunicación entre los equipos se dificulta. Por ello, los Open Spaces son zonas de trabajo perfectas para potenciar la colaboración entre las personas que conforman la empresa. Consiguiendo como resultado, debates para que fluyan mejor las ideas y soluciones.
- Increased socialisation: offices with Open Office Space are workplaces with a friendlier and healthier environment, as they allow workers to interact with each other. A company in which employees can carry out their tasks in a more relaxed, real and affective environment, notably favours the wellbeing of all of them.
How to design an Open Office Space?
Create or design an open office space in your company will be made up of two processes. The first one is the simplest one, especially if you rely on partners that helps you to make the correct selection and layout for your office.
When you consider make a change in your workspace, the first thing that comes to your mind is the space order and the space that every team member must to have. But, what if they didn't have a fixed place? what if they could move around at their own convenience?
| The science thell us that the office order is going to impact, not only in the financial and spatial economy, but also in the physical a mental well-being of the employees. – Alonso, M.F. |
The key to open office space model is create an open area where de employees can meet and, generates a good atmosphere that can inspire and help the company to be more successful.
- One office to be comfortable: is important that employees has the necessary space for carry on their jobs, including the necessary storage equipment as, metal lockers, lockers in melamina or HPL lockers. .
It’s recommended to allocate at least 14 m2 for each employee, considering the proportional part of the common areas. This distribution of m2 also includes the space dedicated to the storage of documents and necessary materials, such as we said before, a phenolic, melamine or metal locker. If you are looking for something more adapted, you can even opt for metal cupboards or cupboards with doors made of PVC. Aiming to increase productivity while reducing the stress of searching for files throughout the office.
- Provide a functional meeting space: to work in a correct environment, in an Open Office Space, the calm is an essential requirement. It is important that the offices have group or individual meeting rooms (for calls, videoconferences or presential meets).
In this meeting rooms, is better use a furnitures that be up to your ambitions: large tables for work in groups or signing contracts with clients; comfortable chairs that reflect your seriousness and enhance your brand image. In short, create a functional space that reflects who you are.
- Having the right office furniture’s: one of the most important points when you are going to choose the correct Open Office Space furniture’s is try to prioritize the quality and ergonomics of each piece of furniture. So, once you have thought about the location of each area, now it’s time to spend time choosing the right equipment, always depending on your needs.
What is flex office space?
We already know what is hybrid work and what means introduce an Open Office Space in to your company. Now, we are going to talk about a new trend that some companies are starting to apply, in order to deal with the empty spaces left by the hybrid work.
This work’s model organization has changed the way of work offices are perceived, looking for a more flexible way of organising and distributing them according to the number of employees. Thus, the term flexible office, was born.
Flexible offices are workspaces that offer to the companies and organisations more capacity to adapt to their rhythms and needs.
Our offices have recently received several requests where companies are remodelling their workspaces to adapt them to the hybrid teleworking model; looking for create a workspace that can offer to the employee different areas and ways of working.
How to equip a flex office?
Office desks
For individual or collective work to be carried out, the best possible office conditions are required. This is where desks play a key role.
Flexible office desks should be:
- Functional: they should fulfil the function for which they are designed, but also be able to support the weight of a computer and have enough space to perform physical and digital tasks. In addition, they should also be foldable for use or storage, depending on staffing demands.
- Modular: that can be used independently or collectively to work in groups or pairs.
- Mobile: they should be easy to transport and noise and weight should not be an impediment.
Sillas para oficinas
Chairs in flexible offices should allow for the distribution of employees according to the amount of work attendance at the time. But they must also be easy to store.
- Lightweight and strong
- Easy to move
- Confortable
Office storage
An organised space is a safe space.
For a good organisation of offices, it is necessary to have resources adapted to the space. For this reason, we recommend using storage furniture such as: cupboards, lockers, coat racks, charging stations for devices (charging boxes) or Open Spaces furnitur.
Ideally, the storage of materials should be organised by employee or section. Thus, lockers or storage cupboards should have different modules or compartments. In addition, it is advisable that they have wheels so that they can be moved easily, to reorganise the space.
Open Office Space. Lockers and cupboards for offices
Cupboards. This is one of the most common options for customers looking for a simple and practical solution to equip their offices. There are two models:
Lockers. Lockers have the advantage that inside they can be fitted with hangers or shelves, depending on the use to which they are to be put. Moreover, if you are looking for an independent space for each employee, this is the best option.
- HPL lockers: these lockers are highly resistant to the passage of time and wear and tear, as they are waterproof, fireproof, and antibacterial. In addition, they do not require assembly.
- Melamine lockers: their material is perfect for storing office material. In addition, they are highly resistant and can be customised.
- Taquillas metálicas: they have a welded structure, which makes them highly resistant and facilitates their installation because they do not require assembly. In addition, as they are made of cold-rolled sheet steel and painted with EPOXI powder paint, they can be easily cleaned.
Freight stations.The hybridization of work and flexibility in offices brings with it some problems that companies need to address to avoid unnecessary relocation of devices. Systems are in place to house and charge electronic devices in the office while the employee is at home teleworking from another device or on their day off.
- Charging boxes: this solution provides storage and battery charging spaces for mobile phones and tablets. They have three different connectors so that any device can be charged.
- Charging carts: these electronic lockers have several sockets inside so that everything from mobile phones to laptops can be charged. They also include wheels so that they can be moved and reorganise the office space.
- Monoblok-E: if you are looking for a hybrid between a traditional locker and electronic lockers, this is the solution for you. The Monoblok-E are lockers with a plug and USB cables for charging small devices, but with the advantage that you will have your own private storage space.
Open Spaces furniture. This is the new storage furniture solution that we have created for offices. After detecting the space problems that many companies had in their offices, we decided to create a product that would help to improve the organisation of their material. For this purpose, we have made 3 series:
- Mailbox: this piece of furniture is a hybrid between lockers and mailboxes. It is designed for employees to store their personal materials, while also serving as a place to deposit letters or personal documentation.
- Office: this series aims to offer the same solution as the mailbox, but with a smaller space for correspondence. In addition, they have two doors for full opening.
- Cubic: the cubic model is a more compact locker, which facilitates movement and improves the aesthetics of offices. In addition, it includes the option of integrating a removable coat rack, so that employees can hang up their jackets, or it can also be fitted with wheels so that it can be moved to suit the space.
Community Locker, the smart locker for companies
The fact that employees must come to the office is often a problem for the online purchases they make - the delivery person can't find it at home, there are several delivery attempts, there is more pollution, and the employee has less conciliation - but as there is always a solution, we are looking for it and we call it Community Locker.
Community Locker's smart lockers promote work-life balance solutions for employees.
By installing it in your company, its click and collect system will allow employees to:
- Receive packages privately at the ticket office.
- Pick them up at any time.
- Avoid unnecessary relocations and waste of time for parcel delivery companies.
You can also use this locker to receive orders when the company is closed.
Constant technological advances have meant that we are beginning to perceive work in a completely different way than 20 years ago. teleworking, flexible office or Open Office Spaces.
