When it comes to office planning there’s a great deal at stake, and it would certainly not be an exaggeration to suggest that the design of an office and its layout could make a significant impact on the success of the business.

Since those who work within the offices once they have been finished will greatly affect the profitability and performance of the business, the office needs to be designed in a way which helps them to work to the best of their ability. Factors to consider do not just include how many desks you can squeeze into a building space, but must take into consideration other factors which can affect mood and performance.

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Certainly, the number of desks within an office space will make a big difference. If you try to squeeze too many desks into a room or building space then the workers will feel hemmed in and crowded. This can make them feel uncomfortable and stressed, reducing performance.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that in some cases the noise from a neighboring worker on the phone could disturb or interrupt another worker sitting next to them, reducing their ability to concentrate and work effectively. Distribution of noise is a factor easily forgotten or ignored, but one certainly worth considering if you have the chance to do your office planning from scratch.

Although putting too many desks into an office space can prove negative, the same can also be said for trying to put too few desks into the same office area. If an office area is large, and the desks spread out, this doesn’t equate to an improvement in conditions and performance. Instead, there will be two resulting factors: the first is a general feeling of separation and emptiness. This can actually cause employees to feel distant from their colleagues, and can reduce well being and performance.

At the same time, it can also greatly increase your heating costs. Clearly for employees to feel comfortable and work to a good standard they need to feel physically comfortable, and this includes the temperature. With a certain number of employees and a matching quantity of furniture within an office space, heating will be optimal.

However, if you try to cram too many people and too much furniture into a room, the heating costs will be replaced by very expensive air conditioning costs, and if you put too few desks and people into a space, your costs for heating will rise dramatically. Bear these factors in mind when carrying out your office planning and try to determine the optimum number of desks and employees for a particular office space.

The same is true when designing an office area from scratch:  determine the number of office employees, then design the space needed for them from that number. Don’t think you are being kind by providing lots of space, since you will simply be designing inefficiency and dissatisfaction into your business. Most employers make this mistake, and while professional advice is worth its weight in gold on all aspects of office design, it is the one part of a business left to amateurs.

It is also important to take into consideration the logistics involved in a typical working day with employees moving about the office. Although for much of the time they may be sitting at their own desks, it’s important to take into consideration where the toilets or refreshment facilities are, or will be, and how this might impact on the productivity of those working within the office.

Having a desk situated right by the door so that every few minutes people are walking past, going to breaks or returning from them, could reduce the productivity of the person working in that place. Not only will they be distracted, but there could also be regular drafts and noise.

Have you taken into account other facilities such as the photocopier and printers? These can often be quite noisy, and give off a significant amount of heat. If you place these right near a radiator or other heat source, or even close to a window which is likely to let in a good deal of sunlight, then this could spell real problems. If these items become too hot then they could malfunction and break down, costing quite a large sum of money to repair or replace.

Your office planning should take into account the heat sources, both fixed and natural, and place such items further away. This will also help to offset any heating costs, since they will act themselves as heaters in a way, and if positioned further away from the normal heat sources, may help to offset your costs slightly. It’s also worth bearing in mind that where you place such items can also affect productivity.

You do not want to have to have people walking all over the office, trailing past many desks and taking long walks just to fetch pieces of paper or take copies. However, at the same time you don’t want to have noisy, heat generating products situated right next to a desk area because this could result in an uncomfortable environment from the heat, and certainly a noisy or disruptive one. In fact, such items are best located in a small room set aside for the purpose – certainly photocopiers if they are used frequently, though it can be awkward with printers unless networked.

Office planning needs to take into account so many factors, and it is far more than simply working out how many desks will fit into an area and the best way to lay them out. From heat sources to light sources, toilet areas to heating considerations, there’s a great opportunity to get it right if you plan carefully and professionallyScience Articles, well in advance.

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