Open work environments have become hugely popular in the last decade, as they allow for greater collaboration and dialogue between your entire team. But the problem with these open office layouts in healthcare settings is that employees don’t have a place to discuss confidential information or focus on a project without other distractions.
For some small office spaces, the solution to this problem is to have employees use a conference room when available for these smaller meetings. But two people sitting around a table for twelve will make it harder for actual discussions to be had and plans to be made.
That’s why huddle spaces have emerged as a popular alternative to larger, stuffier rooms. Employees can reserve and use these spaces that are designed for smaller groups, yet have the technology and amenities to support collaboration. But aside from that, huddle rooms can take any shape or design that is most adaptive to your commercial office’s needs.
You Have to Have A/V Technology
It must be easy for employees to walk into a huddle room and connect their computers or digital devices to shared displays immediately. Time spent fumbling for wires or connections is time wasted.
Even better, match your huddle room’s setup to that in your conference room so anybody in the office can use either space at any time.
You Have to Have Comfortable — And Usable — Seating
Help employees get down to the important stuff with comfortable seating and ample room for laptops and note-taking. But don’t go too casual or your employees may not be able to use the rooms for long; bean bag chairs are easy to move, but not ideal if you’re trying to strategize a company’s future.
You Have to Make Scheduling Easy
Want employees to use these huddle spaces? Have a secure scheduling system that allows people to reserve rooms ahead of time and see when space is available. By utilizing digital displays on the outside of the room and a central calendar, you’ll make sure the area is open to anyone.