Office Space Management: Strategies for a Productive Workplace

Planning, designing, and optimizing an office space can support employee productivity and efficiency and a positive work environment. The process for doing this is called office space management.

Office space management is key for any business type or size, but it is especially critical for those focused on growth who need to ensure resources are being utilized properly. Growth always comes with challenges as well around workspace and the workforce, so employing office space management strategies can help identify areas of opportunity and implement valuable changes.

Below we look at why office space management is important and four key office space management strategies we recommend for a productive workplace.

Benefits of Effective Office Space Management

Let’s quickly identify why you should bother with office space management before explaining the recommended strategies. Office space management directly relates to the operational resources of a business that can impact costs, sustainability and the work environment. These three elements can in turn impact profitability, employee collaboration and satisfaction, as well as the adaptability of the business to changes in the industry environment or workforce model.

The key benefits of office space management include:

• Improved workplace safety: With proper office space management you can more easily implement stronger security measures and emergency procedures. This can help employees feel comfortable and secure, as well as mitigate the risk of data breaches or PI theft.
  
• Cost savings: Determining the optimal amount of space needed for each department within an organization and designing the office layout to properly support each team’s needs (e.g., having meeting rooms with collaborative spaces, relaxation zones, and hot desks) can create a more functional and efficient workplace that enhances employee productivity while optimizing space allocation. This can lead to reduced operational costs and better staff retention rates for higher savings. Properly managing office space will also help reduce expenditure for maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and furniture and equipment management. Collectively, office space management strategies can drive significant cost savings.
  
• Enhanced productivity: When an office space is properly managed it can help support employee engagement, interactivity, and productivity. Moreover, for organizations with a hybrid model, the right office space layout can help encourage employees to return to office.
  
• More flexibility: For smaller spaces or businesses who have flexible work models, proper office space management is critical since many workspaces may be bookable on demand instead of assigned to one person. This is where booking systems become a key solution to support flexibility for employees without worrying about not having somewhere to work or meet. [Read about Genesis Housing Association’s success with introducing more flexibility here.]
  
• Greater adaptability: Finally, office space management supports an agile method that can help an organization quickly adapt as workspace trends reveal opportunities to improve at the operational and workforce level. When practicing office space management, organizations are better able to adapt to shifts in real-time and continue to provide a conductive work environment for staff and visitors.

Key Strategies for Office Space Management

To unlock the benefits of office space management, there a few key strategies to keep in mind.

1. Take an employee-centric mindset:  

When managing an office space, employing an employee-centric design is key. Any organization should seek to engage, motivate, and support employees. By designing an office that caters to employees’ needs, preferences, team size and strengths, the workspace can become a tool to enhance employee satisfaction.

• Key ways to implement:
  • Incorporate flexible workstations like hot desks
  • Create a positive ambiance by including biophilic design elements such as plants that can help simulate nature and improve mental health and well-being
  • Design the layout of the overall office to include a mix of zones that support different objectives (focus, brainstorm, relax) and foster collaboration and enjoyment

2. Make the most of your space:

Space is a valuable (and high-cost) commodity. Make sure you have enough (but not too much) and use every square inch of it effectively.

• Key ways to implement:
  • Offer bookable workspaces and resources
  • Optimize desk layout
  • Implement flexible workspaces
  • Use smart sensors to automate room turnover and scheduling adjustments

3. Evaluate your office space:

Don’t just make changes. Evaluate your current office space to identify high-cost, low-usage areas, high-traffic areas, and other areas of need or improvement. Using a workplace analytics tool can help quickly analyze workspace layout, usage, resources, and trends to help eliminate underutilized spaces, improve booking processes, and implement office layout changes.

• Technology to use: Workplace analytics solution

4. Use office space planning tools:

Investing wisely in workspace technologies can help streamline office space management, meeting and desk booking, and support sustainability and operational cost-saving efforts. Moreover, office space planning tools can automate burdensome processes that can waste employees’ time such as meeting booking and scheduling, finding flexible workspaces, and visitor management.

• Technologies to use:
  • A workspace insights solution
  • Mobile workspace booking app
  • Visitor management automation tool

Tools for Office Space Management

As noted above, technology plays a crucial role in modern-day office space management. Organizations should focus on investing in technologies that automate burdensome processes, that support greater productivity and efficiency, and that can help decision makers identify areas of improvement and make data-driven choices around growth, space usage, sustainability, and more.

The best tools for office space management include:

If you’re not sure which office space management technologies are best for your organization, our team can help you figure this out. Set up a quick call with our team, and we’ll help you design a smarter workplace.

Future Trends in Office Space Management

Two big trends are driving evolution within office space management: The continuation of hybrid and flexible working models, and increased focus by both the public and by organizational leaders to improve sustainability.

Both of these are heightening the need to create more adaptable workspaces that are continually evolving to meet employee needs without breaking the bank or causing extreme damage to the environment. In the last few years, we’ve worked with clients specifically to help them adapt workspaces to support global teams, flexible work models, and to decrease their carbon footprint.