Having a nice office is great. Having a nice office that’s easy to clean is even better—just ask your commercial office cleaner! Besides, an easy-to-clean office is also likely more efficient, which makes it more conducive for productivity. Definitely a win-win all around.
Of course, it’s not that simple to achieve a balance between functionality and aesthetics. Sometimes, you may lean towards one or the other without realising it. As a result, you end up with a cluttered, unoptimised workspace that’s difficult to maintain.
To help you design a smart, practical, yet stylish office layout, here are some tips you need to consider:
Follow the Open Plan Trend
An open plan office is basically a workspace that doesn’t have any walls or dividers between workstations. To create distinctions between separate areas, the design relies on furniture placement. For example, a wide filing cabinet may act as a pseudo-wall between the accounting and the HR departments.
There are certain disadvantages to this type of office layout, chief of which is minimal privacy. Some employees may also be more distractible with an open office layout. However, there are certain ways to counteract these negatives. One way is to strategically use soft surfaces, like padded walls or sofas, to absorb sound.
That said, an open office layout is quite an advantage when it comes to cleaning. You may need to clean more frequently (especially dusting), but the task will definitely be more straightforward. In particular, with fewer things to block the way, it’s easier to vacuum and polish floors.In addition, if you’re enforcing a clean desk policy, there will be fewer things that will accumulate dust as well.
Consider an Oval or Circular Layout
Not many offices use an oval or circular layout because it tends to waste a lot of space. However, if you have a smaller workforce, you may want to consider it. Not only does an oval or circular office layout result in a classy vibe, but it also makes movement so much easier. You can also use the wall space on the sides for decor or even vertical storage options.
Cleaning an office with an oval or circular layout is very much like cleaning one with an open layout because it’s mostly the floors you have to worry about. Moreover, in an oval or circular office layout, you’re also likely using smaller pieces of furniture which are much easier to clean.
Get Easy-to-Move Furniture
Speaking of furniture, no matter your preferred office layout, it’s best to get furniture that you can move out of the way with ease. This way, you don’t have to worry about dust and small debris (like cut up pieces of paper) accumulating under shelves or cabinets. Also, using easy-to-move furniture can minimise the risk of accidents and minor injuries. All in all, these result in more thorough cleaning with half the effort.
What’s even better about this type of furniture is that they make it easier for you to rearrange your office. As such, you won’t have a hard time if you want to change the looks of your workplace.
Do Away With Carpets
Beyond serving as design anchors within a space, carpets also offer more functional benefits such as soundproofing and serving as cushions to prevent minor injuries from falls. That said, they also accumulate A LOT of dirt and grime; this happens faster if your office is a high-traffic one. There are also some carpets that require special care, which must be followed if you want them to last.
In short, if you want to simplify office cleaning, you should definitely do away with carpets entirely. There are plenty of stylish alternatives anyway, which are more practical and easy to maintain than carpet. Some candidates include stained concrete, vinyl, and laminate. You may even be surprised that hardwood is much easier to maintain compared to carpet!
Keep Things Out of Sight
Earlier, it was mentioned that a clean desk policy can help minimise the need for cleaning the office. The logic is simple: the fewer things that are exposed to dust, the less things there are to clean. Aside from giving your commercial cleaners an easier time, keeping things organised and out of sight is also beneficial with regard to operational efficiency.
Of course, you also need to choose the right storage solutions. If possible, get closeable ones—cabinets and drawers, instead of open shelving. Follow a certain system in organising your office supplies, and make sure that frequently used items are easily accessible.
You should also convert most of your paperwork into digital files, if you haven’t already. If you keep plenty of physical documents, you’re going to need more storage spaces and that means more things to move around and clean.
Going paperless—or as paperless as much as you can—is also beneficial to the environment. With a lower carbon footprint, you’ll be able to increase your positive reputation among both partners and customers.
As you can see, making your office layout friendly to your employees and your cleaners isn’t that difficult. Keep these tips in mind to strike the perfect balance in practical and stylish office layouts.