Creating an Office Seating Arrangement Your Employees Will Love

In today's modern workplace, having a designated seat is no longer a necessity, but rather an opportunity to create a space that fosters collaboration, productivity, and employee satisfaction. An office seating arrangement helps employees navigate easily throughout the workplace, work in a space they enjoy, and collaborate with their teammates. By implementing these six tips, you can design an office layout that your employees will love.

1. Create an Open Floor Plan

Gone are the days of gray-walled cubicles and rows of desks facing one direction. Employees want to be delighted by their workplace, and an open floor plan is the perfect solution. This layout allows for better communication, as it's much easier to chat with your manager without the barriers of cubicle walls. Additionally, an open floor plan is more aesthetically pleasing, warm, and inviting.

2. Provide a Variety of Working Spaces

Employees can work in many different places, from a corner booth in a diner to an airplane or kitchen counter. That's why offices should offer a variety of productive work areas for employees to use when they need to get a project done, have a meeting, or enjoy some quiet time. When creating an office seating arrangement, think about what a "seat" can mean – it can be a desk, couch, phone booth, table, and more.

When designing your office, make sure to include plenty of work spaces like comfy lounge areas, personal work pods, and different setups to help your team tap into their productivity.

3. Implement Hot Desking

With the rise of hybrid work, fewer employees are coming on-site on any given day, and they no longer need fixed, permanent desks. Instead of assigning a desk to each employee, consider hot desking or hoteling, where employees can reserve a desk or workspace for the day they're coming in. This allows employees to choose the desk where they will work best, based on proximity to teammates or their favorite part of the office.

4. Designate Team Neighborhoods

To further enhance team collaboration, consider creating department-specific neighborhoods. For example, two rows of desks can be designated for the sales team, located in a quieter, less trafficked part of the office to allow them to make calls effectively. Encourage employees to book a desk within their designated neighborhood to improve communication and collaboration within teams, while also enhancing the general organization and layout of your workspace.

5. Provide a Map of the Office

An office seating arrangement only works if people can easily find where they and their teammates are sitting. Consider using a desk booking software that allows employees to see a full map of the office, including where people are sitting. When they book a desk for the day, they should be able to easily find that desk on the map and even choose their desk based on who has already reserved a nearby workspace.

6. Create Spaces for Visitors

As offices reopen, welcoming back visitors becomes a priority. When guests come into your office, they might need a desk for their visit. Using a visitor management system will allow you to easily register visitors into your log for the day, and the host can then assign them a desk. Consider setting up a designated visitor neighborhood of desks or having your host choose a desk near them to facilitate collaboration and accomplish the goals of the visit.

7. Build Around Flexibility

Finally, think about flexibility. As your company grows and changes, your office seating plan should change with it. When hiring new employees, consider how quickly and efficiently you can create more workstations, keeping a handful of extra desks available for growth. Pay particular attention to the number of available desks on your busiest office days, using data on desks and registrations to keep an eye on capacity and plan resources accordingly.

An office seating arrangement can help your business organize the office in a productive and efficient way. While it may seem like a small measure, a clear and organized seating arrangement can be a huge driver for satisfaction in the workplace. When employees feel welcomed and comfortable in their workspace, it creates an environment they love and are excited to be a part of.

To learn more about managing your space and maximizing employee satisfaction, check out our eBook, "Space Management Tips for Hybrid Workplaces."