The Mark

In this day and age, many employers are looking at the benefits of using collaborative furniture, as it is believed that it will inspire their employees and aid in their productivity.

Many businesses are getting rid of private offices (except for executives) and opting for more of an open plan look.

In this article, we have outlined the 10 areas that need to be considered when designing your workplace to ensure that it can be as collaborative as possible:

1. People Centred

The workplace needs to be designed for (and cater to) the needs of your employees. This can be achieved by speaking with all of the stakeholders, finding out what it is that they truly desire in the space.

2. Luminous

Life needs light for energy and growth, so the workplace should be no different. Try to ensure that there is plenty of natural light in the space and avoid the interior walls going all the way up to the ceiling.

3. Simple

Consider this basic question – what is the intention of this space? This can help you to design a workplace that is specifically tailored to these needs, which will only emphasize its simplicity.

4. Diverse

The use of collaborative furniture can help to create a diverse array of atmospheres that are used for working, meeting and relaxing. The aim is to strike the perfect balance between order and chaos.

5. Randomized

Informal common spaces are actually essential for creating (and sustaining) a sense of community. Some of the best ideas will come from casual mingling, so space for this to occur needs to be present.

6. Fluid

Curved-edge collaborative furniture can help to create an environment that connects, fuses and recombines ideas and concepts. There needs to be no resistance in order for ideas to really flow.

7. Adaptive

The workplace needs to be designed so that it can accommodate multiple functions. You never know what will be added or even removed from your business in the future, so the space needs to allow for this.

8. Ethical

This is not important to everyone, but if your business has adopted an environmental policy it’s a must. The materials used should reflect ethical and sustainable choices – local and recyclable.

9. Flexible

The workplace should have a modular structure – walls that can be easily reconfigured when required, rooms that avoid a sense of hierarchy and spaces that can be rearranged endlessly.

10. Open Ended

Even once the fitout is complete, the workplace should retain some degree of flexibility and “incompleteness”. This will allow you to make room for the changing needs of the business.

We hope that the information provided above has allowed you to choose collaborative furniture that best meets the needs of your workplace. Before embarking on this journey, however, it’s important that you’ve really considered whether a collaborative design is actually the best choice for your employees – sometimes, they require their own space. If you’re still unsure how to proceed, we recommend speaking with your employees and determining their needs.