There’s both an art and a science to workspace management and planning that can lead to greater employee satisfaction with the corollary – increased productivity and business success.
Serviced offices in Navi Mumbai are a case in point. While planning the workspace, a great deal of time was devoted to questions like What will space be used for? The profiles of clients –as well as prospective clients –were studied. This helped determine how much space should be allocated to cubicles and how much to meeting rooms. And also the size and type of meeting rooms. Given the increase in the use of video conferencing, how should these meeting rooms be equipped and furnished? Good planning in the initial stage helped the business centre expand seamlessly as more clients signed in. This is exemplified by business centres in Hyderabad which have grown while still conforming to the original design concept.
Nothing seems like an add-on.
Flexible planning and management of workspace are also evident in business centres in Bangalore. Underlining the fact that office environment and employee satisfaction are inextricably linked, they combine open, airy workstations with communal meeting spaces. In addition, they have lounge and breakout areas that boost the employee’s mood and this has a direct bearing on productivity.
Attracting and retaining talent is a major corporate challenge. Here again, a well-managed and carefully-planned workspace plays a key role. Furnished office spaces in Kolkata help create an environment that stimulates creativity. “I feel my workspace has been specially ‘curated’ for my needs,” says one excited user.”I get to my desk and the ideas just start flowing.”The centre took the views of diverse users into account before designing workspaces that had the mark of individuality while still retaining a sense of cohesiveness and synergy.
“Once you have the talent you need, a well-designed workspace gives you a good return on your investment,” asserts one corporate head. “ With the right talent in place, we can explore new avenues for growth. “Shared office spaces are a worldwide trend that is fast catching up in India. As shared office spaces in Andheri, Mumbai, show, a streamlined look has to be combined with smart storage and filing options. The user’s need for privacy is also an important element of the design.
There’s another dimension to office space design that has been addressed by business centers in Delhi. This concerns the need for total concentration without distractions and an increase in office ‘noise’. The solution is part of the design; separate spaces have been created to meet this need. “We have a special room that we can book that allows for ‘deep thinking’—you shut off your mobile phones and there are no telephones in the room. Great for a team working on a tight deadline,” says one satisfied client.
It takes a great deal of time, money, and effort but it pays –good planning and designing of workspaces are essential to provide the right environment for employees to make a dramatic impact on productivity.