When your workspace shapes how you work, it is little wonder that workplace design is on everyone’s minds. Organizations have always strived to create workplace environments that foster productivity and employee happiness. This is why we’ve seen the shift from cubicle farms to vast open-plan spaces – and now something in between. We call this flexible, something-for-everyone solution the “agile office neighborhood.”
Let’s take a look at what this means and why it’s ideal for your business – and employees.
What Exactly Is an Office Neighborhood?
Think about your local neighborhood for a second. It’s full of coffee shops, restaurants, parks, banks, and more. While your home may be your “base,” you’re constantly venturing out to these other destinations every time you need to run an errand or take a break.
This is exactly how agile office neighborhoods work. Rather than keeping you stuck at “home” alone in your cubicle or feeling distracted in an open-plan environment, they feature groupings of workstations and spaces dubbed “neighborhoods.” It allows individual employees or your entire workforce the ability to move freely as their day demands.
Depending on its size and community makeup, a workplace may feature one, several, or many neighborhoods.
What Makes a Great Office Neighborhood?
Just like successful community neighborhoods, thriving workplace neighborhoods are well designed, well rounded, and built with balance. They understand the daily experience of their community members and meet every need or expectation. For example, our comfortable meeting spaces offer privacy for client meetings or sensitive discussions. Quiet booths make it easy to take calls or focus on an urgent task.
Of course, it’s not just the work-related spaces that make an agile workplace neighborhood thrive. Neighborhoods offer spaces for downtime, relaxation, and the pursuit of wellness. This is where spaces like breakrooms, communal dining areas, and amenities such as fitness facilities come in.
Moving into An Agile Office Neighborhood
It’s possible to build your own office neighborhood. This may mean retrofitting an existing workplace or building one from scratch. When doing this, be mindful of constraints like the size and layout, proximity to local amenities – and of course, cost.
The easiest way to take advantage of an agile office neighborhood without the time and cost is to stake your claim within a coworking space. By their very nature, coworking spaces are built around the idea of the office neighborhood, making them a simple, flexible, and affordable choice for agile-minded organizations.
At District Offices, we’re always mindful of the work-life experience our coworking spaces deliver. Varied, ever-evolving, and complemented by a suite of essential amenities, they give your organization everything it needs to move at the speed of today’s business demands.
For more information about our spaces, get in touch!
