Your office is one of the first and most memorable aspects of your business that clients and new employees experience, so it is vital to be conscious of what it says about you and your staff, as well as your company values and brand identity. If your workplace design is not showing off your company’s great culture, it is going to dampen the enthusiasm of every potential employee you interview.

From Generation Z to the Baby Boomers, the modern office is staffed by four generations, each with different needs and expectations. The key to keeping your office ready for the future is ensuring the flexibility to support your workforce’s varying requirements when it comes to communication methods and physical environment factors such as sound, light levels and temperature.

With one-size-fits-all office design rapidly becoming an outdated philosophy, flexibility is the most important component of great office design.

Use this quick checklist to see if your workplace is ready to attract and hold onto the best talent out there:

Flexibility

Flexible office design, often referred to as activity based workspaces, is a key component of your strategy for getting quality people.

• Do your layout and furniture allow for a variety of different work practices? What options do employees have when it comes to standing desks, informal and formal discussion areas and meeting rooms or quiet, private work zones?
• Does your technology support different ways of working and in different work environments? To what extent can employees work remotely?
• Is your breakout area an appealing place to be, or do your employees rarely leave their desks?

Noise

Some employees and roles require a space that allows for easy discussion while others prefer being able to work in a quiet environment, and it is vital that you are able to provide for both.

• Are you using soundproof materials and other strategies to prevent noise travelling across the office?
• Can employees use headphones to isolate themselves from distractions?
• Are employees able to work in areas separate from the main communal space?