Every company has the way its offices are designed and how well they produce effectively according to their business. When you are starting a business, you need first to consider the layout that the offices will have. Each design, either being open plan or closed plan has its advantages and disadvantages. For the open-plan layout, many businesses consider it because it enhances teamwork and collaboration.

What Is An Open Plan Office Space?

An open-plan office is a design for any office where you make use of large spaces and that eliminating and minimizing the use of small offices. This also eliminates physical barriers such as doors and walls and becomes one room. It has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is good weighing them before settling to it.

PROS

  • Economical – They are very cheap when come to fitting out costs, where many employees are assigned a floor, and it provides more workspace. Eliminating walls increases the space for accommodating more employees. It is also economical in that it saves the cost of reinstating the office back to original condition at the lease expiry.
  • •High productivity – With many employees in one large room, productivity is increased compared to when it is a closed plan. Employees can talk to each other easily without having the extra struggle to move from one office to another. They pat the other employees back or face the other employee since they are close together.
  • Supervision is easy – Since employees are in one central area, supervisors can quickly know who is absent or present. This will save time, which would have been used to move from one office to the other. Employees are also able to reach their issues fast to their managers, and they are solved quickly.
  • Team collaboration – The employees can work together while brainstorming. They ask questions where they are stuck and get an immediate response. Time is not wasted doing unnecessary things by employees as compared to when in a closed office

CONS

  • Noisier & less Privacy – When employees are close together, conversations are louder and more chaotic than in a closed plan. In case many discussions are going now, it will be noisy, and also privacy is not considered in this plan.
  • The distraction of employees – People are just passing by, making the employees distracted, which could be otherwise eliminated in a closed plan.
  • Natural spread of infectious diseases – In the case where an employee is affected by a condition such as flu, many will be infected and thus lowering their productivity
  • •No privacy – When one is faced with confidential calls, it is hard for them to receive them. This makes employees uncomfortable, unlike in a closed plan
  • •Security is at risk – There is reduced security because the employees do not have lockable doors, and it will develop issues in case there was theft.

Consequently, when you weigh both the pros and cons, you will know whether it appropriate for your business and employees or rather consider the closed plan