How Office Buildings Are Made: What All Project Managers Must Know

The world is changing faster than ever. A decade ago business owners never would have expected to be having lease negotiations on Zoom or bother to consider how a company can coordinate a construction project via Slack. Changes like these cause you to shift your perspective and create new solutions to make sure your entire team benefits from it, and it’s no different than optimizing it with office buildings.

Office buildings can make or break your organization. It's the backbone of company culture. Dozens of companies have already ditched the concept of cramped, stressful cubical prisons and now have embraced more innovative workplaces. Productivity isn’t just how many people you can shove into a room to complete tasks, but rather how effectively your entire workforce can mobilize.

So what makes a good office building?

Socialization:

Having social spaces where employees can unwind, collaborate, and grow professionally is needed for an office environment. These areas should be well furnished so they feel inviting and comfortable, yet still be able to provide enough space for privacy. Additionally, having a variety of communal spaces will help promote productivity by keeping employees engaged.

Functionality:

Your office space should have a wide range of uses. Offering functional amenities such as meeting rooms, conference rooms, corporate offices, and lounge areas is essential for ensuring that all members of your staff can work together effectively. Having access to technology in the workplace will allow your employees to stay connected and remain productive throughout the day.

Design:

Your office design shouldn't be too flashy or complicated and match your floor plan. It should be simple and clean. An office space needs to be attractive, yet not distracting. Designers should also keep in mind what the employees are looking at most often throughout the day. For example, if you use a lot of whiteboards, then avoid using dark colors or patterns. The same goes for large open layouts versus small private offices.

Technology:

Technology plays a huge role in today's workplace. Having access to computers, printers, and other devices helps keep employees productive, save time, and improve collaboration. However, it doesn't need to be overwhelming or expensive. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on every employee's device. Instead, consider investing in a few tablets or laptops for each person. This way, everyone has what they need to do their job while saving money.

Entertainment:

A high-performance office is not just meant for work. It's meant to be a place where your employees can relax, enjoy themselves, and get away from all the stress of everyday life. Add some entertainment options such as TVs and coffee shops. These things can boost morale and improve communication among colleagues.

Communication:

One of the biggest problems with traditional corporate settings is that there is little opportunity to communicate with one another. Offices are sometimes designed to foster a sense of isolation between co-workers. This means that your employees rarely speak with others unless it’s necessary.

To encourage better communication, include plenty of events where people can communicate with one another. Create a dedicated area exclusively for team discussions if you feel like it’s fit. You can even create open floor plans in which people can see and talk to one another. 

Organization:

In today’s digital age, it’s not uncommon to receive emails, texts, and messages almost every time we turn around. As a result, most of us have become accustomed to being able to communicate at all times. However, if you want to keep your business running smoothly, you need to be able to find a way to communicate and organize all of your data quickly and efficiently. An office building that provides ample opportunities for collaboration will allow you to stay organized and communicate in real-time. 

Why are Office Buildings Important?

They Create Culture

Every business has a culture. While culture may appear intangible in itself, some factors are tangible that influence it. This ranges from how spacious the office is to how many floors are necessary for certain departments. Every detail matters. 

How you want your company to function also ties with culture. If you decide to create an atmosphere that tends to be closed off and a lack of furniture where people can communicate with each other rather than simply work, then you will expect to have a different culture and quality of life compared to one that is extremely open and lacks technology. Each choice will compound and result in how the company’s operations will be executed. 

They are the Central Hub of Information

For any business to run efficiently, they need to be able to utilize information. They reflect the entire business model. The more efficient the use of information is, the more successful your business becomes. They provide adequate space, and infrastructure to store this information, and have important office equipment with everything needed for storage purposes to achieve this. 

Also, remember that these buildings are going to serve as a central hub of information. People will come in and out of them daily so you need to ensure that they are accessible. You don't want to spend hours trying to locate a particular file or document because you do not know where it is located. 

Having a bad office environment will lead to bad information. If a company poorly decides to establish a building without purpose, then it will affect the rest of the departments that are relying on it. Exchanging useful information between departments not only promotes efficiency but also accuracy. If one department needs to provide statistics from one section to another, such as the project cost or square footage of a commercial building, but many obstacles delay or even halt transportation, then that cuts valuable time and energy.

They Help Employees Feel Valued

Not surprisingly, when employees feel valued, they tend to perform better. A lot goes into creating a positive workplace culture. The best part about an office building is that it allows employees to come together as a team and share ideas. Leaders make sure that their employees feel valued, not the other way around. They can collaborate with their colleagues and brainstorm new strategies when necessary. Also, having a clean workspace means that everyone feels like they belong there. Everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and no one feels like they are wasting their time.

They Determine Your Productivity as a Business

An office building determines how productive a business can be. When people get used to working at a particular place, they become less likely to move around. This makes it difficult for companies to keep track of their progress or to conduct research on customers and products. Even if you hire someone else to manage the office, it will still be very hard to find anything about the business. The best way to avoid this is by ensuring that all offices are fully functional. 

 As mentioned above, the little details matter because they add up and lead to the overall picture. Having overly spacious rooms may appear great in theory but may contribute to ineffective communication. Some office environments may appear innovative at first, but in reality, they slow down professional development and soon lead to complacency.

Questions to ask yourself:

Since your company is unique, it requires a strategy that caters to your needs. You don't want to end up regretting your decisions later on, so Here are a few questions that may help you develop your ideal workplace:

• Do I have room to grow my business?
• Does my business require additional space?
• Will this office furniture represent my culture correctly?
• Is the location of this office building beneficial for my company?
• Am I able to afford the labor costs for this building?
• What are the build-out costs?
• Am I willing to pay for quality services?
• Do I have the building materials necessary?
• Does each employee require more space for certain tasks?
• Is there a room where people collaborate?
• Will I stay in this place for a long duration?
• Are there any hidden fees?
• Will I enjoy working in this location?
• Is there parking nearby?

It's easy to see why office buildings play such a big role in the success of businesses. Whether you're looking to set up a new branch or just renovate an existing one, you should think carefully about choosing the right type of building. As long as you have the correct answers to the questions above, you'll be developing your space in no time.