Employees and employers alike spend a lot of time at the office. This is why it is important to ensure that you are utilising the space correctly and making the environment pleasant to work in. In this article, we will discuss how to calculate office space and create a space that employees want to be in.
How Much Office Space Do I Need?
Whether you are looking at new office spaces or wondering if your current office space is being utilised effectively, there are certain aspects you need to take into account and questions you need to ask yourself before determining what your office layout should look like.
- Employee Office Attendance: You should ask yourself whether you have an office environment that requires all employees to be in the office at all times or whether you have a hybrid environment where employees come in a few times a week.
- Computer Type: Do your employees work using a laptop or desktop computer? Laptops are noxious for taking up less space and are portable if your employees work in a hybrid environment.
- High- or Low-Density: A high-density office refers to an office where employees have smaller spaces to work and more people are present in a space. A low-density office space on the other hand consists of a spacious office environment. This will often depend on the type of work performed by employees and whether or not they need to sit in close quarters with their teams or not.
- Offices or Open Plan: It is important to decide whether you want an open plan office space or whether each employee will have their own office. A good mix of the two could also be necessary.
How to Calculate Office Space Per Person
When calculating how much office space is required per employee it is important to first calculate how much space is currently being used by each employee and whether there is wasted space. This calculation consists of:
Space Utilisation Rate = Number of Employees ÷ Total Workplace Capacity
One can then take into account that the recommended space per person in a high-density office consists of 7 square meters. This will allow you to make an informed decision about whether or not you can and want to change your layout and fit more or fewer employees into a space.
How the Right Office Furniture Can Help
Depending on whether you have decided to go with an open plan office space or not, there are certain office furniture pieces that can be utilised to save on space as well as provide privacy for employees. By making use of Nexus cluster desks, each employee will have their own dedicated space while being able to communicate with teammates easily. One can even invest in privacy pods that have been specifically designed for small meetings to take place between employees. These pods can transform a large open space into a functional office environment while saving on space.
Contact S&J Office Furniture to find out more about how you can create the perfect office environment by making use of the correct office furniture.