By Brettany Taylor, Account Management Intern
Regardless of the business you are in, efficiency and organization are key ingredients in achieving success. For smaller companies, creating a workspace that is organized and functional requires a little bit of creativity. Here are a few tips on how you can achieve this for your small business.
Layout
You need to fully understand how your employees interact -or should interact- before you begin your layout. In some companies, it may work best to have the support staff directly next to a manager. In other companies, it might make sense having all the support staff together in one area. Only you know which system functions best for your company, but the objective is to encourage communication and increase efficiency. Once your company reaches a certain size, usually 15 or more employees, we recommend consulting an interior designer.
Create open space
Open space gets people out of boxy situations and leads people to opportunities to innovate and to be creative. You can even add a small meeting area in the center for casual meetings, with a number of rooms available for private conversations. AtMadison+Mainwe have kept our space open.
Create office “hubs”
This can be where copiers, scanners, printers and other shared equipment are located. This can also function as a communal area where the coffee maker, refrigerator, water cooler and snacks are located. Adding comfortable seating like a table or a counter with stools encourages gatherings for birthday celebrations, work accomplishments or simple conversation between employees.
Here are two local Richmond companies that can help you with design and office furniture:
Ball Office Products http://ballop.com/
Smarter Interiors http://www.smarterinteriors.com/