Why Your Office Needs Touchdown Spaces
Touchdown spaces are the new trend in the modern-day workplace. With employees returning to the office, they are expecting to return to a workspace that allows them to be both comfortable and productive. That can mean something different to every employee. One employee may thrive in a quiet, closed-door space while another may work best in an open-plan workplace environment. Depending on the nature of their work, a café-style space may help some employees focus while others may need the privacy that a workstation or cubicle could provide.
What Exactly is a Touchdown Space?
A touchdown space is an area where an employee can efficiently work on their laptop with adequate internet access. It can be a smaller, more private space, a café-style lounge, a conference room, or maybe a larger, more collaborative area. These spaces allow an employee to quickly work between meetings or tasks – respond to emails, make a quick call with a client, etc. Traditional workspaces are being replaced by touchdown spaces that are goal and activity focused.
What Makes a Productive Space
All employers want their coworkers and employees to be efficient and productive, and want them to perform well. When reconfiguring an office design, find a way to help incorporate touchdown spaces:
Waiting Areas
We often think of waiting areas as just that- a place to wait, wasting time that could otherwise be spent productively. But that doesn’t have to be true if you turn that waiting area into a touchdown space. Give guests and clients a “plug and play” area, like a small table with comfortable seating, where laptops and devices can be plugged in and hooked up to a strong wireless connection.
Dedicated Touchdown Space Outside of Conference Rooms
Oftentimes meetings can go on quite long, which means those waiting to use a conference room have time that can be best spent answering that one email or drafting a piece of copy. Give your employees the freedom to be productive while waiting by furnishing the areas outside of and around conference rooms with touchdown spaces.
Private Rooms or Booths
Sometimes, employees need more privacy. Consider creating areas for small impromptu meetings or phone calls. Chairs, couches, and benches that easily fit all body types allows for an efficient use of space without major adjustments.
Modular and Flexible Furniture
Flexible furniture that allows for easy collaboration is important. Furniture that can be easily moved around your workplace allows coworkers to collaborate productively no matter the tasks they are looking to accomplish.
