Working environments form the basis

The different working concepts and working environments are one of the most important factors when looking for an office. Do your employees work in individual offices or can they also work in team offices or modern open-plan concepts? You can find out which working environment best suits your company in the following list:

Individual office

An individual office is an office space that only accommodates one workstation. The size of the company must be taken into account here, as this concept requires a lot of space. The advantages of this option are that employees can work in a focused and undisturbed manner. They can customize their entire workstation, the room temperature, and the lighting conditions. In addition, confidential conversations and documents are guaranteed. Although individual offices are pleasant for organizing one's own daily work routine, they do not promote teamwork and the general working atmosphere. This tends to create an isolated atmosphere among colleagues. Thanks to modern wall-oriented workplace concepts, a single office can now also be used as a double office, thus greatly increasing space efficiency.

Advantages:

• undisturbed work
• Confidentiality is guaranteed
• Individually controllable room temperature and lighting
• very high level of privacy

Disadvantages

• no direct communication with colleagues and employees possible
• Risk of exclusion and isolation
• unsuitable for teamwork

Cell office

Alongside the individual office, the cubicle office is the most common type of office in Germany. This alternative offers a minimum of two and a maximum of three workstations. This concept is useful for companies with several smaller departments. It allows employees in a team to communicate with each other quickly and easily. It is simple and efficient to use. However, there are also disadvantages, such as a higher noise level. In this type of office, appropriate furniture can also be used to create a private working atmosphere for individual employees.

Space requirement/guideline: 23 square meters per room

Advantages:

• Synergies for employees with similar tasks (e.g., controlling)
• concentrated work
• low noise level
• good exchange of information among employees
• high level of privacy

Disadvantages

• low flexibility of room structures
• no direct communication with employees in other rooms

Group office

A group office usually comprises between 4 and 20 workstations and combines the advantages of cubicles and open-plan offices. This type of office is particularly suitable for individual departments and teams within a company that require a high level of communication within the department. This allows employees in a team to communicate with each other quickly and easily. However, there are also disadvantages, such as a higher potential for conflict and a higher noise level. In this office layout, appropriate furniture, room layout systems, and acoustic measures can also be used to create a private working atmosphere for individual employees.

Space requirement/guideline: 11 square meters per employee

Advantages:

• flexible workplace design
• efficient use of space
• short communication channels
• easy integration of new employees
• Copier can be used as a communication zone within the group office

Disadvantages

• higher noise level (acoustic measures are a must)
• impairs concentration
• potential for social conflict
• little privacy

Combined offices

This is a combination of individual offices and communal areas. The individual offices are usually located on the outer edge of the space, but have transparent partitions to the communal areas. This allows employees to work undisturbed and with concentration, while still having an open view of their colleagues and the shared environment. This option requires a lot of space for a company and is not always feasible in terms of floor space (the depth of the building is important here).

Space requirement/guideline: varies depending on the floor plan and the number of individual offices

Advantages:

• Combination of individual work and teamwork guaranteed
• individual communication possible without great effort when required
• Privacy is guaranteed

Disadvantages

• high space requirements in relation to the number of workstations
• low flexibility in room layout

Open-plan office

Open-plan office concepts have a floor space of approximately 400 m² for a large number of employees. The workstations can be separated by dividers such as cabinets, partition walls, or room-in-room systems. In addition to simple and quick communication, a positive aspect of this option is the flexible redesign of the workspaces. The downside of this concept is the high noise level and the supply of fresh air, as special measures must be taken in large offices.

Space requirement/guideline: 13 square meters per employee

Advantages:

• high space efficiency
• direct communication channels
• quick integration of new employees possible

Disadvantages

• high noise level
• High risk of visual and acoustic distractions for employees
• often lower productivity of employees working here
• virtually no privacy

Non-territorial office

In this type of office, individual employees are not assigned to individual workstations. Employees use the office workstation that is currently available and take their personal belongings with them in a rolling container on their way there. This contains their individual work documents and personal items. Individual data is accessed via a central server, which employees log into with their personal access data/terminal server.

Space requirement/guideline: 13 square meters per employee (based on an open-plan office)

Advantages:

• high space efficiency
• high flexibility in working hours and organization
• quick integration of new employees possible
• promotes spontaneity and team spirit

Disadvantages:

• high noise level
• Team spirit sometimes compromised
• difficult to plan (risk of idle or overloaded capacities)