Six Quick Tips for Building an Agile Workspace

Every company or startup team should have the goal in mind of creating an office space that maximizes their employees' productivity and workflow. 

This is where an agile workspace excels. But striking the right balance between creative freedom and focused work can be challenging.

The good news is, there are several small things you can do to help smooth the conversion process and seamlessly shift your employees from a traditional office setting to something way more productive. 

Six Tips for Elite Agile Office Design 

1. Give your Employees Options - Make sure that your agile workspace has several different areas that are designed for different types of work. Although the entire setting should be more open, give your employees options when it comes to group or individual projects. Allocating two or three spots specifically for concentrated work is key. 
2. Educate Everyone - Your employees and management should be in the loop throughout the entire conversion process. This switch can be anxiety-inducing, so the more your employees and staff know, the less anxious they'll feel. Share the floor plans, including group spaces, small meeting spaces and where they can go to make and take phone calls or do private work. 
3. Encourage Your Team to Work Together - A traditional office setting has a fixed seating arrangement, and this makes it difficult for your team to get to know one another. An agile workspace lets them sit with new people every day if they choose. Plan group lunches, games or social gatherings. Your employees will be more likely to work together comfortably if they feel like they know their co-workers. 
4. Design Your Agile Workspace for Your Employees - When you're designing your new workspace, ask for employee input. Ask them what they need to be able to work and function as a team. This may mean sectioned-off areas for solo or small group work, private telephone booths to make and take important calls, or a small lounge or break area where they can relax when they take a break. 
5. Recruit Employees to Champion Agile Office Layout Principles - Sometimes, employees need to hear from their peers why an idea or change is great. Fine the extroverts in your organization and have them try out a few agile workspace tests. Get them to spread the word about their experience and encourage their office mates that this is a good transition. 
6. Promote a Transparent Workspace - Since an agile workspace is an open workspace, be very transparent with your goals or expectations of your team. Pick a wall or two and turn it into your idea or goal wall. This will make it easier to keep everyone on the same track, and it's a great way to get everyone's voices out there. 

Reaping the Rewards

Now that you know six different tips for building your agile workspace, here's a break down of the benefits of incorporating one into your existing office layout or design. 

Easy-to-Designate Private Areas

• A traditional office can seem like there is no place an employee can go to have a private conversation. However, if you incorporate a freestanding office phone booth / pod into your agile workspace, your employees will have this private area whenever they need it. You can also use them as mini-conference rooms for team or project meetings. They're very bright and spacious, so your employees won't feel like they're boxed in. 

Additional Collaboration and Teamwork 

• Since the seating is usually fluid in an agile workspace, your employees will have the option of working with different coworkers instead of the same ones day in and day out. This will make them more likely to engage with colleagues on different projects or ask for help from different coworkers if they need it. 

Increases Productivity 

• Your employees are more likely to work harder if they have a team of people working hard around them. An agile workspace can increase your employee's productivity levels, and over 75% of employees surveyed stated that their individual productivity increased after they moved to an agile workspace. Additionally, over 83% said that they now trusted their coworkers to be in their coworking space. 

Are you in the process of building an agile workspace, and you want to have private areas for your employees to make calls or have mini-conferences? If so, contact us. Our friendly and professional staff is ready and willing to answer any questions you may have.