You might be aware that an open plan layout is a popular way to style a home right now, but did you know that offices can be open plan as well and that this design idea is actually beneficial for a number of reasons? If you’re thinking of redesigning your office or you’re about to move to a new one, why not consider making it open plan? Here are some of the reasons why it could work out well for you.

Better Collaboration

When you have an open plan office layout, everyone will be able to work together much more easily as there will be no barriers. These are real physical barriers, as in the walls of the separate offices everyone might have, but also psychological barriers that are in place when people are all working in separate spaces. The easier it is to communicate with one another, the better the collaborative working system will be.

Of course, there will be times when a separate office will be useful, such as when you need to hold meetings. In this case, you can still have an open plan office layout, but you can also install an office pod within that layout. This will effectively give you a private space should you need it, allowing you to use your office in any way that works for you.

Increased Creativity

Following on from the point about better collaboration, open plan office spaces also foster more creativity. If you divide people up, you can actually stop them from being as creative as they might need to be. This might be because they literally feel cramped and can’t think properly in a small space, or it could be because there is nothing for their brains to find stimulating – just the same usual four walls. If this happens, they might have trouble coming up with new and exciting ideas.

When you have an open plan office, there will always be something happening that can spark the imagination. Plus, as mentioned above, people will be able to talk to one another and bounce ideas off one another, helping to push ideas further and allowing them to be as creative as possible.

Better Company Culture

The best businesses are the ones with the best company culture. They are the ones that people want to work for, so managers can attract the brightest talent and ensure the work is done to an exceptional standard. Plus, customers will be happy to buy from a company that treats its staff well. On top of this, having a good company culture means happier teams and more productive workers.

It probably won’t surprise you to know that one of the best ways to foster a positive company culture is to have an open plan office. This shows everyone is working together, there are no secrets, and the team can bond properly, helping them to do even better work. If setting up an open plan office can lead to higher profits because of all this, it’s definitely worth doing.

Design an Office Layout in OneNote

To design an office layout in OneNote, you can follow these steps:

1. Open OneNote and create a new page or notebook.
2. Create a table to represent the layout of your office. You can use cells to represent different areas of the office such as conference rooms, private offices, open workspaces, etc.
3. Use shapes, lines and other drawing tools to create a visual representation of the layout. You can also add text labels to identify each area.
4. If necessary, use the resize, rotate and reposition tools to adjust your shapes and lines.
5. Add any additional details such as furniture and decor to your layout.
6. Save and share your design with others by sharing the notebook or page.

Note: OneNote is a digital note-taking tool and is not specifically designed for creating detailed floor plans or architectural designs. However, it can be used to create a simple, visual representation of an office layout.