Collaboration Trends for Small Businesses by The HON Company

How can businesses encourage collaboration within the working environment? Can offices invest in furniture that encourages conversation? Moreover, how do firms create workspaces with an open atmosphere that facilitates collaboration?

The HON Company (HON), a manufacturer and designer of office furniture, sponsored research identifying collaborative design trends that impact office furniture layout. To answer these pressing questions, we've identified the latest design trends to transform the modern workplace.

Customize and Reconfigure
Open layouts allow for customization. Employees can gather at multi-purpose tables or easily reconfigure furniture to create an efficient meeting space when and where it's needed, rather than relying on conference room scheduling and fixed, traditional conference table layouts.

TABLES
Try swapping the large, single table in conference rooms for smaller, reconfigurable ones; this encourages teams to work together, hold impromptu meetings, and brainstorm.

SCREENS
A popular way to provide customization options and a sense of privacy is to use screens so employees can move barriers when and where they need them.

WHITEBOARDS
Many start-up companies are incorporating whiteboards, tables, chalk walls, and other writing surfaces into their office designs to encourage collaboration and creativity.

Meet the Casual Meeting Space
COMFORTABLE SEATING
Couches and lounge chairs help set the tone for a collaborative office culture and create a comfortable, multipurpose space where employees can meet, brainstorm, and relax away from their assigned desks.

MULTI-PURPOSE TABLES
Touchdown tables that can serve as informal meeting spaces for employees to gather, innovate, and work in common areas throughout the office are becoming increasingly popular.

OUTLETS EVERYWHERE
Today, outlets, USB ports, and Wi-Fi connectors are being integrated into office furniture solutions to create increasingly convenient workspaces throughout the office.

Office Ecosystems
Research proves that employees are more productive when they have a variety of places or "ecosystems" to work in— private spaces for focused work and open areas to relax and socialize between projects or during breaks.

OFFICE LAYOUT
Strategically plan your layouts to incorporate collaborative spaces such as lounges, meeting rooms, and huddle rooms. Many of today's companies are using less space for archival storage which frees up room for more collaborative areas.

HUDDLE ROOMS & PHONE BOOTHS
Incorporate private spaces for employees to focus quietly or make personal calls. Try lounge areas with soft seating for breakout spaces or huddle rooms. Or, if every square foot counts, experiment with decreasing the amount of separation between workspaces.