How to create an agile workspace

The changes to our working lives brought about by Covid-19 have been far reaching, not only in terms of how and where we work, but also in our expectations of how employers will look after their workforce. The move towards hybrid working – where an employee’s time is divided between their home and the office – has created a new concept: the agile workspace. But what exactly is an agile workspace, and how easy is it to implement?

To be agile, your workspace needs to tick a number of different boxes:

• It needs to be flexible in its design
• It needs to contain a number of multi-purpose shared spaces
• It needs to boost collaboration
• It needs to give employees autonomy
• It needs to meet the needs of the business

The benefits of creating an agile workspace include:

• Better collaboration – research has shown that the ability to move around and change your perspective can enhance creativity, teamwork and the overall feel-good factor. Being tied to ‘your’ desk using ‘your PC’ used to be viewed as the optimum, but post-Covid, flexibility is key
• Better retention – post-Covid, more and more employees are focusing less on how much they earn and more on how the job, and working in general, makes them feel. Agile workspaces can play a huge part in attracting and retaining talent
• Better use of space – gone are the days of wasting money on large, sometimes under-utilised office spaces. Post-pandemic, it’s all about making the best use of space to reduce overheads and provide a stimulating environment for everyone
• Better employee satisfaction – agile working allows employees more self-determination in that they can manage their own time and workload more effectively
• Better productivity – creating an agile workspace enables employees to collaborate when they need to but also to remove themselves from distractions when they choose to focus on a specific task

Moving to an agile workspace model requires careful research and planning to ensure that it’s right for your business. Initially, it’s about ensuring that your employees can operate efficiently within an agile environment, so it’s worth asking them for their input. Not only will that generate better buy in, but it’ll also ensure that the solution you put in place will reflect the preferences of your whole team.

Once you’ve surveyed your team and shortlisted all the requirements, it’s time to create a design for the workspace. This is likely to include the following:

• Open-plan office areas, potentially with shared desks
• Quiet zones for independent working
• Collaborative meeting areas
• Breakout spaces for relaxation
• Resource spaces such as a stationery area, a games zone and/or a kitchen
• Touchdown spaces for bursts of productivity

An agile workspace is likely to include the following items of furniture:

• Flexible desking
• Adaptable meeting tables
• Private booths
• Meeting pods
• Modular seating
• Clever storage solutions
• Personal lockers

For Lee Alexander, owner of Alexander Green Office Interiors, the move to agile workspaces presents businesses with an exciting opportunity. ‘Here at Alexander Green we love the idea of the agile workspace because it can be treated as a blank canvas,’ says Lee. ‘We encourage our clients to be open-minded when it comes to re-designing their space, especially if they’re operating with a hybrid model. We work with a wide range of brilliant manufacturers, which means that we can tailor your space to meet your employees’ needs and also to benefit your business to the maximum. From flexible desking and funky pods to comfortable sofas and creative storage, we can design and fit out your space to ensure that your staff love coming to work because they know that the space they’re working in is exactly how they like it.’

Alexander Green specialise in designing agile workspaces and supplying innovative office furniture in Cambridge and across the UK, so why not complete our enquiry form to request a no-obligation quotation?