What to Expect When Working in an Open Office

Functioning as a dynamic workspace for both teams and individuals alike, open-plan offices are becoming increasingly popular in the commercial world. Yet, many workers are still unfamiliar with how these spaces operate and what it’s actually like to work in one.

Here, you will find a complete rundown of what an open office space is, how it works, how it feels, and what the unique benefits of using one are.

What is an Open Office?

An open office is a shared office space used by team or groups and individuals from different organisations. For example, in any given open office, you might find the full staff of an accounting firm, a temporary project team, the regional contingent of a larger consultancy company, as well as a number of other colleagues engaged in individual projects or sole practices. 

Basically, an open office is a melting pot of different people and projects working in a communal space.

How Does an Open Office Work?

Open office space is markedly different from traditional office space in a few ways.

Firstly, open offices come completely fitted with the essentials of carrying out commercial operations. At Christie Spaces, our open offices feature super-fast WiFi, lockable filing cabinets, and business-class printers. You will also receive professional corporate services like mail and package handling, concierge services, security, IT support, and daily cleaning.

Secondly, open offices work on flexible contracts. This means that you only pay for the space that you actually need, and you don’t needlessly lock yourself into extended leases. For example, you might be launching a start-up with a core group of founders and associates, and then you may need to rapidly expand your team. An open office space allows you to scale up and scale down as quickly as your needs change. 

In terms of the actual space that you and/or your organisation occupies in an open office, there are two options. The first of these is to have an allocated desk or area within the office space. The other option is hot desking. This means that every day when you and your team come into work, you choose your preferred desk and begin working. 

Whichever option you choose, being a member of an open office will give you 24-hour access to your workspace, as well as to all of the shared facilities in the office, like breakrooms and kitchens. 

Our shared office spaces also give you access to bookable meeting rooms. This is useful if you need to have a client meeting or if you want to give a presentation to your team. These meeting rooms are equipped with video and audio technology, including large Zoom-compatible screens for virtual meetings and interactive presentations. 

The Open Office Environment

Open offices are entirely unique in that they foster the cross-pollination of ideas and contacts across a whole range of commercial fields. For example, you might operate a media agency in an open office space that you share with an accounting firm, an IT start-up, and a marketing consultancy. 

In practical terms, sharing an open office with these groups gives you the opportunity to become exposed to other professionals with entirely different perspectives, experiences, and skillsets. You can meet these people casually in the office breakrooms and kitchens, forge new collaborations for specific projects, or even be introduced to new potential clients. 

Another defining characteristic of the open office is the vibrancy of the environment it fosters. Sometimes, the mood in a closed office space can become stale if team members are coming to work each day sitting in the same place, seeing the same faces, and repeating the same tasks. If businesses don’t ward off this staleness, employee satisfaction can dip and with it - team productivity. 

An open office can instil a dynamic sense of vigour and newness in a workplace, keeping team members engaged and enthusiastic. Coming to work now means seeing new faces, meeting new people, and being exposed to new ideas. 

Christie Spaces Open Offices

At the core of Christie Spaces’ philosophy is the belief in the positive impact of lively and comfortable work environments. We know that when people come to work in an interesting place with great amenities, their employment satisfaction goes up and so too their productivity. That’s why we go above and beyond in actively fostering that kind of environment in our open offices. 

While coworking spaces have a dedicated community team that is responsible for nurturing a positive communal environment, we also host regular events for professional networking and socialisation. So, if you don’t have the chance to meet and talk with your coworkers during the day, you can always find time at one of these events.

We also understand that a positive work environment often comes back to the setup of the office itself and the amenities it offers. For this reason, all of our open offices are bright and airy with a good supply of natural sunlight. They are also tastefully designed and fitted out with modern and comfortable furniture. Being located in prime CBD locations, they offer instant access to all the amenities of our beautiful global cities: cafes, restaurants, bars, gyms, and entertainment. These are perfect locations to develop social and working relationships with other members of your coworking space.

Closer to home, our open offices also come with access to beautiful communal areas including kitchens and breakrooms. These features give you the opportunity to get away from your desk, have a conversation with a coworker, and recharge your mind. 

To sum it all up, open offices represent a new way of doing business, with a mind to community, collaboration, and wellbeing. Of course, not all open offices achieve these attributes, so please do your research and tour our spaces before signing up!