Introduction

In the current economic climate, it’s not just employees who are coming under scrutiny in most organisations, but the effective use of work space as well.

With major advancements around the use and accessibility to mobile technology, it’s faster and easier and in some cases a great deal more efficient for both employer and employee to agree a flexible working arrangement. So as well as the traditional accommodation for office based personnel, employees have become able to do the job from home and work from several areas during the working week. Even when in an work place, hot-desking, touch-down areas or hotelling are all common arrangements being generated for the mobile employees.

In providing this flexibility, it is crucial that the employer thinks how in order that the company premises are employed their maximum efficiency. It’s actually a major test for every employer, who will not want to look at rows and rows of empty workstations day after day.

Productive workplace planning is one thing increasing numbers of organisations are actually considering. There exists much to think about for example minimum space requirements, illumination requirements, fire exit and disabled access considerations , to name but a few. So searching for the guidance from a professional workplace planning designer and installer could prove a good outlay.

It’s not only about productive planning and utilisation of space. Is mobile working and the creation of touch down areas best suited for the business? In some companies, the company culture along with the flexibility of employees means that such projects work. In alternative firms it might not. There are lots of items to consider in arranging the workplace environment. No two businesses are the same. For one group, it might be determined that a stimulating working situation for employees is required, whereas with other companies effective utilization of space within the office location is going to be a priority. Which ever is effective for your business, you will need to make certain that the corporation’s culture and values are clearly recognized by staff.

The task agenda can take weeks or in the case of larger projects many months to accomplish. In any event, from the beginning the process needs to offer a crystal clear plan to maximise the usage of area, workspace and layout style, construction timescales and management of contractors whilst on site. The company’s workers will also have to be temporarily moved whilst the work is performed. In addition there are exacting health and safety regulations in regards to the work place, which has to be adhered to during the preparation of the task.

Office planning contractors will perform a site survey of the company premises in an attempt to fully grasp if such a design is likely to be a success. From your contractors perspective, it is a worthwhile exercise, to remember to discuss and agree the options with the client to make sure that once the course of action is agreed, work is going to be planned to ensure the bare minimum disruption to the firm. Taking time to assess your workplace planning requirements is an essential element of any office reorgansiation

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What should be taken into consideration when planning the workplace area?

One of the most critical considerations when undertaking workplace planning is to be absolutely clear about what tasks will be performed in the designated areas. Different layouts, different furniture, the amount of space required, should all be considered depending upon the tasks to be employed in the area. So whether the workplace is to be for permanent staff or mobile workers, consideration needs to be given to the comfort of the working environment, to aid productivity.

Permanent workers will spend many hours at their desk so it is important that consideration is given to individual work areas. The correct provision of the appropriate office furniture and equipment all aid productivity and efficiency levels. Each employee will require their own personal space around their work station. No one likes to be closed in and there are many variations of desk design, from single to multi desk designs to ensure enough space for each employee.

Comfort at the desk is a key priority to ensure that health problems are avoided through being in the seated position for long periods of time, so a comfortable chair is essential. Lighting is also a key consideration. A more pleasant office environment is created where the office is well lit , but consideration will also need to be given to avoid glare on computer screens. Telephone communication also needs to be well positioned on the desk. Equally, for the mobile worker, ease of connecting up a laptop and mobile phone will be essential.

It is important to take into account all of these issues to, as far as possible avoid distractions from other areas of the office which could interfere with work. However, employers need to get the balance right, as it is just as important to maintain good communication and working relationships within the office. Ensure that every employee has ample space to effectively and efficiently undertake their tasks, without being distracted by other colleagues close by. Therefore, in some cases, the provision of a meeting room to enable one-to-one or group discussions to be held, may be another effective element of the office design.

In my opinion, the most effective way in which to ensure that employees buy-in to what the employer is trying to achieve is to consult with the employees. Through consultation, the employees can give their views on what type of workstation will be best suited to performing the tasks.

For example if the environment is to be used by a sales person, where regular communication with clients is required, then a slightly more secluded working environment may be preferred to avoid background noise, particularly if discussing detailed proposals or contracts. A sales person is one type of employee who will have flexible working requirements, where a small amount of their working week will be spent in the office, whilst the rest of their time will be spent out on the road visiting potential and existing clients.

If the environment is in a finance department or call centre, then the use of system desking or multi seated work stations may be a more appropriate solution, where a number of employees can be seated in a work area together..

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Health and Safety in the office

Whatever the office conditions, the employees should be allowed a degree of flexibility to arrange their work station to suit their own needs. As long as the employer has provided and considered the requirements of the working environment to allow employees to undertake their work effectively, employees will want to add a personal touch to their own work area. As long as employees do not place their own health and safety or that of others at risk, then there is nothing wrong with the employer allowing some flexibility with this.
Guidelines for use of equipment at the workstation

Taking time to ensure the comfort of employees at the workstation can eliminate health and safety problems in the future. Every one enjoys working near a window and if this is possible, the glare from windows onto a computer screen can make reading of the screen difficult. Therefore, window blinds or shades need will need to be installed to enable employees to control lighting conditions.

In situations, where the workstation is to be used for longer periods of time, guidelines recommend that the use of computers may require an anti-glare filter to be placed across the screen to eliminate problems with reflection. A computer screen is recommended to be at least 25cm from eye level.

It is also necessary to ensure that enough electrical points are available, for additional communications equipment such as mobile phone chargers and laptops.

Employees may also require printers or scanners to be located on their workstation.
The correct seating is critical of any workstation design. Perhaps the most important feature of the workstation is the provision of the correct type of office chair. Many hours will be spent seated at the workstation, so the better the quality of office furniture, the less likelihood there will be of receiving complaints from employees about discomfort in the back, shoulder or neck area of the body. The chairs comfort and design can impact upon how effective or productive the employee will be. So it is good practice to test some office chairs for comfort before purchasing too many.

Good morale amongst employees is positive for your business and a comfortable working environment will help the cause. I was recently involved in a project to set up a new call centre to house eighty call centre agents. Following much discussion with the office design contractor and consultation with around twenty existing agents, plans for the new look office were agreed before the contractor went away to draw up the plans. The existing agents felt that team working was important and therefore it was agreed that the most effective office layout would be for the call centre agents to be located in teams of six around a circular desk system.

Once the plans were finalized, over a three month period the office layout was developed. Taking time to involve the existing agents has proved very effective indeed, with all call centre disciplines showing good signs of improvement. Another major plus point is that in a call centre, staff turnover can be high, but any new starter is quickly integrated into a ‘team table’ and through training, conversation and listening to team colleagues, quickly adapts to the requirements and targets of that team.

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Fire Exit Considerations

No matter what type of business you operate, employers must comply with regulations around safety at work, and this includes what to do in the event of a fire.In today’s health and safety led environment whether it is at home or in the office, the installation of fire alarms is common place.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, was introduced to provide advice for businesses on what reasonable steps should be taken to reduce the risk from fire, to occupants of the building . More importantly the Order contains advice to business owners to ensure that a safe escape plan is in place should fire occur.

Generally speaking, ensuring fire safety within premises is a common sense approach. It is important that in any workplace planning programme, that time is taken to identify for example, where the nearest exit routes are for employees to safely leave the building and where employees should congregate upon evacuation of the premises.

In some premises of course, hazardous materials may be in use within the building and therefore it is wise to seek further advice from fire safety advisors who can advise on how to take specific precautions. Equally, office buildings on several levels will also require advice from fire safety experts to ensure safe escape routes are identified. Many businesses now appoint fire marshals whose responsibility it is, to make sure that every one within the building is briefed about what they should do in the event of a fire.

In any work place , escape routes should be safely and immediately accessible at all times and suitable for the number of people likely to use them. They should not be obstructed in any way and accessible for emergency services.

Guidelines do recommend that at least two fire exits should be available if a room is to be occupied by more than 60 people. The guidelines also extend to the number of flights of stairs and passages of corridors, so your workplace planning considerations will need to comply with the regulations.

Disabled Access

There are many considerations for employers to be mindful of when planning to accommodate disabled people within offices and premises. Under the Disability Discrimination Act every business is required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the working environment to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against.

These include making adjustments to the workplace to ensure ease of access for the disabled and providing suitable modified office furniture to provide the same level of office comfort as able bodied employees.

Conclusion

It can be a cost effective solution to engage with a workplace planning specialist to review the layout of your current workenvironment. There are many rules and regulations to comply with, so taking time to consider the implications of precisely what is required is imperative. Do not under estimate the amount of issues to consider in making your workplace a pleasant working environment.

Unfortunately we live in a society where employees are quick to point the finger of blame at their employer for failing to provide the correct workstation or office furniture. So the contractor and client should take time to undertake a site survey, establish what is required from both the employer’s point of view and that of the employee to ensure that the end result meets both the needs of the employer and the employee. Productivity and morale will be greatly improved in a pleasant working environment.