Saying goodbye to private offices

The traditional model of private offices appears to be one that has had its day. Increasingly, industry-leading companies are moving towards workspaces that make for more open, collaborative working. More and more leading firms are now opting for open-plan workspace designs, with even the C-suite executives sitting at workstations with the rest of their employees.

While this may be an unsettling concept to some, this more open-plan way of working can deliver many benefits. For example, a conference space in the middle of an office, rather than hidden away down a corridor, could make for better accountability. Team members who sit close enough to overhear each other buzzing with ideas can spontaneously start to chat and brainstorm on the latest project. This ‘accidental’ interaction can forge new ways of working and relationships that previously wouldn’t happen if everyone was closed off from each other in their own offices.

Some workplaces are taking this a step further by introducing universal hot-desking. The idea behind this is that no one has a fixed desk. Staff spend each day working around different people, gaining the opportunity to learn more about how other teams work and make connections between projects and pieces of work. While this model undoubtedly can be a more uncomfortable way to work, the benefits it can bring to creating a more joined-up organisation are certainly worth consideration.