Open workspaces are standard now in the business world. Everyone is sitting out in the open. They still have their own desks and everything else, but gone are the old fashioned cubicles of lore. The interaction among employees this fosters does help with projects and assignments when on teams here. But the question is, where does the boss come into play? Is it better if the boss is in the workplace, in a private office, or perhaps floating?
If you are sitting in an open plan office
Because bosses need to know what’s going on in the company, some are setting up desks in an open plan office. If you are within earshot of the employees working, you can offer advice and guidance quickly if there’s an issue. If there’s an unhappy client or customer, you can advise on how to handle the situation quickly too. The employee can settle then the issue with authority, and the client or customer is more satisfied.
When you are sitting at a desk among your staff, they feel you are more approachable. It also lets you know what’s going on in the lives of your worker from the daily chatter. It can make you feel more empathetic when problems crop up. Also, by not having to send messages to the office or go through a receptionist, challenges and issues become resolved faster.
Another point is meetings no longer need be in a conference room with everyone seated in chairs waiting for you. When you have an announcement or an issue that need to be addressed, then it can be introduced right in the workplace. It saves both time and money in the long run because it cuts back on paid overtime meetings.
If you are sitting in a private office
When you have a private office, there are benefits to this too. Sometimes business calls need to be taken in a quiet area. Being in the midst of noise and confusion won’t work. A private office is a necessary place for making important business calls.
In addition, if a meeting with an attorney or an accountant is scheduled, this is personal and confidential. Having a private office for these matters is necessary for privacy. You don’t want all the employees to know every financial aspect of the business. If the company’s fortunes are going up or down, that’s no one business but yours and the other stockholders.
Also, you do want to feel you can be approached with a problem or issue. But you are the boss, not their coworker and having a private office can help to reinforce this. When you’re on the floor, you are approachable; if you’re in your office, an employee will have to knock or make an appointment, so it feels like a step up the ladder of hierarchy.
If you’re floating around the workspace
Another plan is not to have any particular place to sit in the workplace when you’re on the floor. Perhaps you’re the top who likes to keep your eye on everything. It could involve you floating from department to department, checking in and seeing if there are any questions or issues which need your attention
So say you could float over to the sales department and sit at a temporary desk working on some paperwork. If one of your employees is having a problem with a sales pitch that they’re working, they will find you more approachable if you’re sitting right there. They can run it past you, see what you think, and then go and call the client or customer. It saves them from having to make an appointment to see you and helps with the customer.
Or maybe you’re sitting in on a team meeting, and there are questions about how to proceed on an important point. You can give your input then and there, and the team can continue onto the next section.
So what is the best way to do things? A lot depends on the personality of the boss. It also depends on how people interact with each other in an office. This is why you can additionally can hybrid things where you still have an office, but you float too as an example.
There is no one fits all answer here; it really depends on how your business best fits into the equation
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