Wednesday 22nd March 2023

Did you know that we spend almost 30 percent of our lives at work?

It’s a significant amount of time to spend, particularly if you’re one of the millions of workers around the globe working in a physical office a few days a week. The office and work itself are actively evolving. These days, it may feel like there are myriad different types of office layouts, from the traditional to the creative, as brand-new types of spaces in offices and new types of office systems are being designed to adapt to the needs of a predominantly hybrid workforce.

Our own survey data has discovered 85% of employees prefer a hybrid working model – with nearly a quarter (24%) of fully remote worker respondents stating they are willing to switch to a hybrid model. The changes to work in recent years has led to many more shared, flexible workspaces, and a move away from every employee having a dedicated, traditional desk working in a traditional office.

Companies trying to retain and attract the best talent for their organizations have to now offer workplace options that prioritize and balance employee flexibility with the need for in-person collaboration and social bonding.

Today’s office environments have become more digital and mobile-friendly – many with the ability to easily make desk bookings, conference room scheduling software, meeting room reservations, huddle, lounge, and other privacy-friendly focus room. Conference room scheduling software is a vital tool for modern businesses and organizations seeking efficient management of their meeting spaces. This software streamlines the process of booking conference rooms, ensuring optimal utilization of resources while minimizing scheduling conflicts and maximizing productivity.

Plus, with today’s collaboration software, such as Microsoft Teams, organizations are able to plan and book space with their teams and peers, share schedules and brainstorm and meet in person.

So, here’s our guide for various types of workplaces that exist today:

1. Assigned workspace

This is a dedicated workstation for individual employee in any workplace, generally a traditional desk.

2. Breakout spaces

Breakout spaces are any informal space open to everyone, including visitors and partners. This area is separate from the usual working area. Designed for quick chats and spontaneous meetings, it’s also usually an area for employees to relaxsocialize or eat lunch.

3. Co-working space

A working environment which provides office facilities for a variety of different people, from different businesses – they may be salaried employees working out of the office, or freelancers and contractors.

4. Coffice

A coffee shop where people (generally remote or flexible) are able to work. The ingredients are simple: Half coffee shop (café), half office = coffice. For more information about this newer phenomenon, take a glance at our blog the coffice: is the way we work shifting?

5. Conference room

In North America, a conference room is a traditional meeting space set within an office environment. In Europe and Asia Pacific, the space is more likely to be referred to as a meeting room. Want some help creating your best possible conference room? Read “five steps to designing your perfect meeting space“.

6. Connected offices

connected office is usually part of a smart building environment. It’s a space that is tailored to employee needs, and enables workers to easily perform tasks, such as finding meeting rooms or managing office facilities, in a quick and functional digital capacity. Download our future of smart buildings infographic.

7. Creative spaces

Similar to breakout spaces, but usually more functional for creative endeavors, creative spaces allow side-by-side work between colleagues, clients, and communities.

8. Cubicle farm

This is the slang term to describe offices made up of individual cubicles, which is a more common design in the US than in Europe. Learn more from our workspaces vs. workplaces infographic.

9. Hot desks

… Or also known as desk hotelingdesk sharing, or shared desks.

These are all terms for the same concept – a flexible workspace, where desks are not permanently assigned, but rather shared between employees, to allow for agility and increased collaboration between teams. Desk sharing is usually facilitated by a desk booking system, and can often be tailored to specific business needs.

You might like to read “what is hotdesking?” Or “how to implement desk sharing in your workplace” for more thorough explanation of this design can work for you.

Flexible work and the office

Flexible work enables workers to be given the choice over where, when, and how they work. Utilizing a range of different workspace types allow greater options and control over the best place to get work done. Providing this workstyle and implementing flexible workspaces has proven to increase productivity by up to 20%.

10. Focus room/huddle room

A small space, meant for one to four people, generally informal, and most importantly private. Read “five steps to designing your perfect meeting space”, for more information.

11. Fun zones

… Or a gaming area or a de-stress area.

These are dedicated areas within the workplace which incorporate relaxing or run activities such as ping pong tablespool tables or other communal games. They’re meant to be a pleasant environment to help boost happiness and mood and can be good for business.

12. Home worker/working from home

Someone who is home-based only. This is different to a remote worker, who has the capacity to work from various location. Want to know more? Read: home working productivity

13. Meeting spaces

A space, typically within a business environment, which is provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings, either internally, or with clients and visitors. Find out more about improving the management of your meeting rooms.

14. Nap pods

Specially designed chairs which are sometimes used in corporate environments and universities, allowing people to nap safely and comfortably during the day. For further reading, check out our blog post: seven workplace innovations to help with concentration.

15. Neighbourhoods or zones

The practice of grouping together employees, departments, or teams within the workplace. Our friends at Oktra have perfected this, watch the Oktra case study video.

16. Pet-friendly workspaces

This concept is exactly as it sounds – workspaces where employees can bring their pets in! It may sound distracting, but it’s been adopted and championed by major brands, such as Google and Amazon. You might like to read can pet-friendly workplaces help improve employee engagement?

17. Phone booths

A more fun and dynamic working space, which is typically small and meant for one to four people, generally informal, and most importantly, private. Check out our blog post Eight Alternative Workspaces Around the Globe, for the details on more quirky and different spaces.

18. Pods

These are stand-alone units that come in all shapes and sizes and are designed to create a sense of privacy and boost concentration. Available in a variety of materials, some are even portable. Read seven innovations to help concentration in the workplace for more information.

19. Private office

A private office is a workspace which is separated from the open office by partitions or walls. Private office space can be provided to an individual or group that are working on a special project, or undertaking work of a confidential nature.

20. Remote working

Remote working allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment. It is sometimes called telecommuting or teleworking. For more information on the concept, please read our blog post remote working – 10 tips for creating the perfect workplace at home.

21. Smart office

smart office is a workplace where technology enables people to work better, faster and, of course, smarter. Beaconssensors and mobile apps help employees perform menial tasks, so they have enough time to focus on innovation and growth. For further reading on the smart office concept, please see smart offices – the future of the workplace?

22. Workstation

Generally, a desk, but this can be any area in which you carry out your work. We all know what a desk is, but maybe for a bit of fun, you’d like to check out our blog post tidy desk vs. untidy desk.

Learn more about today’s flexible office and a smarter workplace experience with Condeco by Eptura.

Research report: Attitudes to Hybrid Working.

Attitudes to Hybrid Working Report

The impact of hybrid work on employees and employers.

Download our research to get the full picture.

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