Top Office Design Mistakes to Avoid

Is the layout of your office hurting your team’s productivity? Most people don’t invest the time needed to properly layout their workspace. But poor office planning can impact your team in negative ways. You may be encouraging too much individual thinking when your employees should be thinking like team players, or vice versa.

Here are the top office design mistakes that should warrant your attention. IFR also offers smart office décor ideas to turn your poorly planned space into a productive one.

Mistake: Erecting High Walls

Many companies use cubicles to give workers a measure of privacy. This is a worthy aim, and many employees appreciate it. But, if your employees are required to work as a team, it may be best to keep the cubicle walls low, to encourage collaboration between cubiclemates and foster camaraderie.

Solution: Make the walls just high enough to offer privacy, but keep them lower than the shoulder of your shortest employee.

Mistake: Assigning Offices Without a Plan

It may have seemed logical when you moved into your space to assign offices based on alphabetical order of last names, seniority or employee requests. But, then you realize your marketing team is spread throughout the office and half of your sales force is down the hall.

Solution: Assign desks based on duties. The marketing team should all sit together, of course, but go a step beyond that. Who do the marketers collaborate with the most? Put them next door, and then next to them put another collaborative group and so on.

Mistake: Underutilizing Windows

If you gave only one person access to window space or blocked out window space with office furniture, you need to make a new floor plan. Natural light plays an important role in keeping employees alert, engaged and happy.

Solution: Find a space where as many people as possible can sit near a window.

Mistake: Having a Messy Reception Area

First impressions matter, and if you’ve designated the reception area as a dumping ground for old books, reports or broken coffeemakers, you’re going to make a poor impression.

Solution: Find space in the back for old books and equipment you’re not quite ready to part with, and make it a concerted company-wide effort to keep the reception area spotless.

Are you worried you’ll make these office space mistakes? Enlist help with generating office design ideas. Check out IFR’s layout and design capabilities for more small office ideas.