{"id":12083,"date":"2020-05-14T11:09:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T11:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-mondaycomblog.kinsta.cloud\/?post_type=remotework&p=12083"},"modified":"2021-07-28T13:07:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T13:07:39","slug":"collaborative-office-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monday.com\/blog\/remote-work\/collaborative-office-space\/","title":{"rendered":"3 WFH design lessons to create a truly collaborative office space"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some of us, going back to the office<\/a> seems like a far-off fantasy, but believe it or not, now\u2019s the time to take advantage of an empty office and start planning for a new office design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As an interior designer at monday.com, I\u2019ve been tasked with thinking through how to both make sure our employees stay safe and also take the comforts of \u201chome office\u201d life into the physical office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are three lessons I\u2019ve learned so far:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHang out\u201d spaces should be designed for creative brainstorming\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

On one hand, some of us have been at our most creative while working from home – oftentimes, working from the comfort of our own home has only helped our creative juices flow. However, many of us also lost that in-person collaboration energy – the energy that only comes from being in a room, with lots of people, brainstorming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do we make sure we\u2019re comfortable – but also have the added benefit of working physically with other people – once we transition back to office life?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My rule? Offices should be conducive to the brainstorming process no matter where you are. For example, designers often overlook productivity needs within \u201chang out\u201d spaces, but these can be easily adjusted to enhance creativity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the right placement – acoustic features, electricity solutions and ergonomic fixtures can transform these spaces so they are as comfortable as your home – but take your unplanned \u201ccatch-up\u201d meetings to the next level.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Social distancing design, for productivity\u2019s sake!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all experienced it: the uninterrupted focus we\u2019ve had while WFH<\/a>, as we\u2019re able to have the power to set a personal work mode without office-related disruptions. Besides considering a new office order and remote work<\/a> agenda, an important lesson we should also consider is the implementation of personal space into our offices:<\/span><\/p>\n

Designated privacy areas: <\/b>Individually controlled areas allow people to find themselves in the comforts of their privacy without feeling watched or disturbed. These designated privacy-areas can coexist among open spaces like lounges and the kitchen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flexible \u201cprivacy getaways\u201d: <\/b>Additionally, companies can incorporate flexible features, such as multi-functional partitions, that would enable a privacy mode. Talk about an instant privacy \u201cgetaway\u201d!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Work suites: <\/b>Another way to achieve more focus areas in an office would be shifting a certain game or other concept room into a \u201cwork suite\u201d that would allow isolation and full privacy within a fully equipped working infrastructure. Employees would be able to book it as a gap in their schedule in between meetings, turning the work suite on \u201cdo not disturb\u201d mode.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Try measuring interactions among departments to prepare for the next collaborative configuration<\/b><\/p>\n

You wouldn’t think data would have anything to do with interior design, but surprisingly it does. Before we began WFH, we didn\u2019t pay much attention to the interactions between departments. This can reveal a company\u2019s true character and uncover unexpected cross-departmental collaborations<\/a>. We took a look at which departments were collaborating the most and found some interesting insights:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n