Introduction
In the current economic climate, it’s not only employees that 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 much easier and in some instances considerably more efficient for both the employer and employee to agree a flexible working arrangement. So as well as the more traditional arrangements for office based personnel, employees have become able to operate from home and work from several places during the working week. Even if in an work place, hot-desking, touch-down areas or hotelling are all common arrangements being generated for the mobile employee.
In providing this flexibility, it is vital that the employer considers how to ensure the work premises are employed to their maximum efficiency. It’s actually a major challenge for just about any employer, who does not wish to look at rows and rows of empty desks day after day.
Successful workplace planning is something that many organisations are now considering. There exists much to think about for example minimum space requirements, illumination requirements, fire exit and disabled access factors , to name but a few. So seeking the counsel of a dedicated workplace planning contractor could prove a worthwhile investment.
It’s not just about successful planning and utilisation of space. Is mobile working plus the formation of touch down areas right for your enterprise? In some organisations, the company traditions plus the overall flexibility of employees means that such initiatives work. In other sorts of firms it could not. There are lots of areas to consider in arranging the workplace environment. No two organizations are identical. For one company, it might be decided that a rousing working atmosphere for employees is required, whereas with other organisations effective utilization of area round the office location will be a concern. Which ever is the best for your personal organisation, you will need to make sure the firm’s culture and values are clearly appreciated by workers.
The work timetable can take several weeks or in the case of more complex projects many months to complete. In either case, from the beginning the process needs to demonstrate a clear plan to maximise the use of capacity, workspace and layout pattern, construction timescales and management of building contractors whilst on site. The company’s workforce will also need to be temporarily moved whilst the work is undertaken. There are strict health and safety rules concerning the work place, which have to be adhered to during the planning of the project.
Work environment planning contractors will carry out an audit of the business premises to try and recognize if such a scheme is likely to be a winner. From your contractors perspective, it’s a valuable exercise, to remember to go over and agree the specifications with the customer to ensure that once the course of action is agreed, work will be scheduled to ensure the minimal disruption to the company.
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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 flexible 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 cramped 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 work station 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 appointed 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 inclusion 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 mobile 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..
With any refurbishment project office space planning guidelines must be adhered to.
Health and Safety in the office
Whatever the office conditions, the employees should be allowed a degree of flexibility to set up 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 reduce health and safety problems in the future. Every one enjoys working near a window and if this is possible, the reflection from windows onto a computer screen can make reading of the screen difficult. Therefore, window blinds or shades need will need to be supplied 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 minimise problems with reflection. A computer monitor 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 desk 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 contact 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 draft 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.
Building a new office construction is a challenge and must comply with many regulations.
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 smoke detectors is common place.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, was introduced to provide guidelines 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 the fire service who can advise on how to take specific precautions. Equally, office buildings on several floors 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 informed 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. The inclusion of a stair lift may also be necessary to accommodate disabled employees in areas other than the ground floor area.
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 exactly 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.
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