The working world is changing. It has been predicted that by 2022, the majority of employees will work remotely at least 50% of their time. This is largely due to the rapid growth in technology and its ability to make communication possible without physical contact or proximity.
Working from home allows for more flexible schedules and a more family-friendly environment for employees with children.
However, this may not be a good option for everyone as it can lead to feelings of isolation when someone doesn’t have access to social media or other means of connecting with people who are nearby.
In order to combat these effects, some companies offer office space where employees can go during their day if they feel like they need human interaction or just want an escape from home life!
Here at Waahi, we’re also fighting Remote Work Isolation, through our video-based collaboration tools and by training our users to not only consider the “work from home” part, but also considering how to help team members “thrive from home”.
Gone are the days of cubicles and company dress codes.
Now, there is an emphasis on creativity and innovation, with companies focusing on creating a relaxed environment that is conducive to productivity.
As a whole, there are a few main ways of organizing your workforce.
In this article, I will share the different methods of organizing teams and offices, while showing you how you can set up these spaces using Waahi’s Virtual Office for remote teams.
Private Offices
Private offices are more personal and work well for when you want to focus on one person.
This could be great for the leadership team, the founder/s, or other team members that require more of a 1on1 approach throughout their day.
So what does this look like in a Virtual Office?
In Waahi, we have private offices that allow people to be in the same space but still maintain their privacy.
Where each team member, or at least the key team members, gets a private video room so that other members of the team, can jump in and out when invited or when they need some help.
Every office can be locked from the inside, just like locking the door at a physical office, so team members can multitask while staying connected throughout the day without interruption from colleagues who may not need access to all conversations at once.
Department Based Offices
If you’re trying to have an inviting and open environment, which is the perfect start for collaboration, these designated spaces could really be a great help.
Splitting your team into smaller teams can highly enhance collaboration. Grouping them into shared environments can allow different team members to “tap the shoulder” of their colleagues when needed.
This type of “open space” offices are ideal for creative teams that need to get feedback or guidance from each other during the work.
They can also be very effective for admin-related and client relations teams, where quick response times can save hours and days compared to using emails or waiting for the weekly meeting to get something done.
Within Waahi, team members can mute themselves or switch the camera off if they feel self-conscious and only switch these on when needed, everyone is still visible in the room as a round box with the team member’s name (like on Zoom) so that others in the room always know who’s sitting in the office.
Some examples of this can be your Development team, Billing team, Marketing team, and Support team.
Workflow Based Offices
Group your team members based on the tasks, projects, and flows within your business.
Think of Ford’s production line or McDonald’s kitchen.
Within the same space, you can find different functions that serve a bigger purpose.
For example, product teams often are grouped based on a project and include 1 or 2 members from different functions, like developer, designer, and project manager.
There are many benefits of this office type, including increased communication and collaboration. However, there is a downside with the lack of privacy for open spaces.
A benefit to this type of workplace is that it allows people from different functions (such as development team members) to work on projects together.
This means that users can see each other if needed when in an “open” space where they have access to the entire workspace; or you could also create designated meeting rooms for more private conversations about your project workflow without interrupting others around you.
This brings us to our final office type…
Meeting Rooms
It’s always good to also have a couple of designated meeting rooms so that if any of the team members require some privacy or have some deep work to do, that doesn’t involve the rest of the team, they jump in there and get things done.
A cool idea, that I picked us from my last “office tour” to Facebook’s headquarters here in London, is to name these rooms based on something that is related to the culture you’re trying to build.
Maybe after some famous Jazz musicians or athletes, or famous cities.
Get creative and come up with memorable names to encourage usage and a sense of belonging.
This is perfect for meetings where you don’t need everyone’s input or brainstorming sessions between two teammates!
How to choose the type of office that is right for your team?
To get started, you’ll want to consider the following:
Can your team benefit from a more relaxed environment? Do they need an open space or private offices for some professionals? What is the company culture like where people are usually in and out of each other’s workspaces all day long, so there may not be as much privacy required.
What type of office layout do you have right now that you can use as inspiration for what new setup would work best for your current needs–or maybe even help with future expansion!
A successful workspace should make it easy to focus on tasks by providing necessary tools and amenities while also having plenty of room for socializing when needed.
An effective workplace makes employees feel comfortable within their chosen location and helps them get more out of their day and out of their collaborative team experience.
What about working as a remote team?
Our vision for Waahi to bridge the gaps between what is possible at physical offices and working remotely, from home.
The above types of office styles can be translated into remote work scenarios, with the necessary tools and amenities provided through our software to help facilitate collaboration, while saving you unparallel flexibility of experimenting and changing things up, without needing to break down any walls.
A good approach is to mix and match out of the above options for different use cases within your organization.
With Waahi, you don’t need to choose – you can have it all!
In summary
Choosing the right type of office for your organization can greatly affect productivity and how much employees enjoy their days.
Finally, deciding what type of office layout is best suitable for your organization’s current needs–or even figuring out the future expansion possibilities! The choice can be difficult but an effective workplace will help you get more time from your day as well as getting the most out of being a collaborative team member in your organization.
After exploring the available options, which one(s) do you feel make the most sense for you?
Let me know in the comments below.