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Whether start-ups, SMEs or corporations, many companies today rely on an open-plan office to promote teamwork, communication and flexibility. But open-plan working concepts also bring new challenges. How can noise pollution, concentration and well-being be reconciled? And what role do hybrid models and digital tools play in this?
We'll show you what open-plan offices can really offer, where their limits lie and how you can get the best out of your working environment with clever planning and smart solutions such as desk.ly.
Contents
- Open-plan office: The most important facts at a glance
- What is an open-plan office?
- Advantages of open-plan offices in modern working life
- The biggest disadvantages of open-plan offices
- Desk sharing and hybrid working: Opportunities in the open-plan office
- Individual office vs. open-plan office - at a glance
- Success factors for functioning open-plan offices
- Best practices for workplace management with desk.ly
- Conclusion
Open-plan office: The most important things at a glance
- Open-plan offices promote communication and efficiency, but require targeted planning: open-plan work areas enable rapid communication and space-efficient working, but bring with them challenges such as noise, lack of privacy and concentration problems.
- Zone models and hybrid forms of working improve productivity and well-being: The use of clearly defined areas for concentrated work, meetings and retreat breaks as well as well thought-out desk sharing models ensure greater flexibility.
- Digital tools enable intelligent and transparent office organization: software solutions for booking and space planning make the use of workspaces more efficient, provide a data-based basis for decision-making and support companies in implementing modern, scalable workplace concepts.
What is an open-plan office
An open-plan office is a connected workspace in which several employees work at open workstations without fixed partitions. This form of modern office landscape promotes an open way of working and facilitates spontaneous communication. The aim is to improve cooperation and knowledge sharing in your teams. In contrast to a classic individual office, the available space is used more efficiently, which brings cost benefits in terms of rent and equipment. Open-plan offices arose from the desire for more flexible workplace structures and have established themselves as the standard in many companies. Despite their popularity, they are not without their challenges, as they require well thought-out space planning and sensible workplace design in order to combine comfort and productivity.
Advantages of open-plan offices in the modern workplace
Open-plan offices enable optimal use of the available space, as several employees work in an open area. Companies save on rental and operating costs and avoid vacancies through flexible use. The working environment promotes quick coordination, encourages teamwork and speeds up decision-making processes. As an agile organization in particular, you benefit from this open office structure, as your teams can be easily restructured and workstations can be adapted spontaneously. Mobile partition walls or modular furniture further increase the economy of space. Shared use of resources such as technology, printers or meeting zones also increase efficiency. The open workplace design simplifies communication and new colleagues integrate more quickly into existing teams.
Team communication and a sense of community
The open layout of an open-plan office strengthens direct communication. Without physical barriers such as doors or fixed room boundaries, informal conversations and spontaneous coordination occur, which improves team dynamics. Employees perceive the office as a shared environment, which increases the sense of belonging. Open communication creates trust and reduces misunderstandings. In the long term, this social dynamic helps your employees to identify better with the company. The close contact also promotes cross-functional learning and enables knowledge transfer between departments, which is a great advantage, especially in modern working environments.
The biggest disadvantages of open-plan offices
Despite many advantages, open-plan offices can present considerable challenges. One of the most common is noise pollution, which averages between 50 and 60 decibels, exceeding the recommended level for mental work. This acoustic stress can impair concentration and well-being. Health studies also show that susceptibility to illness and stress levels increase in open-plan offices. The lack of privacy also makes concentrated work and confidential conversations more difficult. Employees with indoor workstations often complain about poor lighting conditions and fatigue. The potential for conflict also increases when different working styles and needs come together in a confined space. Aspects such as sound insulation, climate, light and fire protection must therefore be carefully considered during the planning stage in order to ensure workplace comfort.
Influence on concentration and productivity
Studies by Harvard Business School and Witten/Herdecke University show that productivity in open-plan offices often decreases despite improved communication. The constant presence of other people increases cognitive strain and leads to frequent interruptions. Noise levels and movement in the field of vision make complex mental work more difficult. Constant noise and a lack of places to retreat to cause stress, which reduces performance in the long term. Zone models with clearly demarcated areas for concentrated work, meetings and communication are an effective countermeasure. This allows the potential of the open office design to be exploited without jeopardizing work performance.
Desk sharing and hybrid working: Opportunities in the open-plan office
Desk sharing is a workplace concept in which desks are assigned flexibly rather than permanently. It offers a high level of space efficiency, especially in open-plan offices with hybrid working models. Many employees are not in the office every day, which creates free spaces. With desk.ly, workstations, meeting rooms and parking spaces can be booked and managed centrally. This allows you and your employees to keep track of where workspaces are available. By analysing anonymized data, companies can identify occupancy trends, optimize space and reduce costs. Integration into existing applications such as Microsoft Teams, Outlook or Google Workspace ensures that there is no need to switch between tools. In this way, desk.ly supports data-based space planning and promotes the digitalization of workplace management.
Individual office vs. open-plan office - at a glance
The individual office offers peace, privacy and concentration. It is particularly suitable for activities that require a high degree of focus or confidentiality. The open-plan office, on the other hand, supports communication, teamwork and agile project work. The choice of the right space concept depends heavily on your company structure and the prevailing working style. While the individual office promotes mental health and retreat, the open-plan office convinces through efficiency and flexibility. desk.ly makes it possible to realize mixed forms in which open work areas are supplemented by retreat zones. Intelligent booking systems and visualized room planning make it possible to create demand-oriented workplace models that combine the advantages of both concepts.
Success factor for functioning open-plan offices
A well-planned open-plan office can be designed effectively with just a few targeted measures. The key is to set up different work zones, such as areas for quiet workingmeetings or breaks. Acoustic elements such as ceiling sails, carpets or sound-absorbing partition walls reduce noise. Plants improve air quality and create visual separation. Lighting conditions should be individually adjustable to meet different needs. In addition, clear rules of use and flexible working guidelines help to avoid conflicts. Flexible workplace models also promote well-being. For companies, this means that they do not assign jobs rigidly, but plan them according to the situation. This approach supports a work culture that takes equal account of well-being and efficiency..png?width=795&height=298&name=teamdynamik%20(2).png)
Best practices for workplace management with desk.ly
With desk.ly, you can organize your workspaces digitally. Interactive room plans show which team members are on site and which areas are available. This transparency promotes targeted collaboration. At the same time, administrators receive valuable data on utilization in order to better manage space. In this way, rooms can be reduced when usage is low, which lowers operating costs. desk.ly can be integrated into existing tools, which avoids access restrictions and media disruptions. This digital management significantly increases scalability and flexibility in open-plan offices. Companies can thus streamline workflows and implement hybrid workplace models in the best possible way.
Conclusion
The open-plan office offers your company economic and communication benefits, but also poses organizational and health challenges. Efficient planning is crucial in order to strike a balance between productivity and well-being. desk.ly helps you to manage workspaces flexibly and introduce transparent structures. They enable data-supported decisions on utilization and usage patterns. A combination of hybrid working models and digital booking systems ensures that your company finds the optimal mix of efficiency, flexibility and comfort. This means that the open-plan office remains a sustainable model if you design it consciously and manage it intelligently.
