While you're in the process of setting up your business, you'll also need to hire new employees. That means you'll need to figure out where they're going to sit. Will you stick with the classic cubicle-filled office or switch to the open space setup? You should decide what kind of atmosphere you want to create, and from there, consider a few factors that will influence your choice, such as the ones listed below:
Collaboration
Will your employees be working together on projects often or will they only come together on occasion? If your employees will be doing a lot of collaborating, the open space layout is ideal, The Startup Magazine said. When workers are sitting with one another, they will be able to share their ideas and brainstorm with one another to come up with the best possible solution. By the year 2020, 50 percent of the workforce will be millennials. An open layout will allow them to see how the office runs and will train them to work in teams and think creatively.
Privacy
When it comes to an open layout, there is no such thing as privacy. Everyone will be able to hear and see everything you do. Cubicles will provide your employees with a place to get away from the crowd. If your business will require a lot of phone calls or meetings, cubicles and offices might be preferable, according to Hawaii Business. Not only can the call bother the rest of the office, but the noise of an open space can distract the person on the phone. If your employees will work better with some privacy, cubicles are the way to go. While they don't provide immediate access to your coworkers, there are ways to get around that. Conference rooms and meeting areas allow employees to keep their own space while collaborating with their peers.
Cost
Cubicles cost money. Depending on how many employees you're hiring, that price could be outside of your budget. An open floor layout can cut expenses so you won't have to make room in your financial plan for partitions. According to the Boston Globe, approximately 80 percent of offices are open format, partly because it's cheaper. If you have the room in your budget, you can take the money you saved and reinvest it into something else, like better chairs or a fancy coffee machine, Casey Pelkey, vice president of marketing at Tetris Online, explained to Hawaii Business.
Deciding on an open space or a sectioned off office can be a difficult decision, but if you consider what kind of business you're running and what goes along with each layout, the choice will be easier.