The open-plan office is ideal for encouraging communication within the sales team and with other teams, such as marketing. An open-plan layout helps to build employee engagement, bringing the team together and allowing them to share ideas.
However, recent studies suggest that open-plan offices can either be, "noisy and distracting or depressingly quiet". With the constant ringing of the sales line and the white-noise of everyone talking over each other, it's no wonder that it has been suggested as a cause of stress. Research has even shown that people who work in open plan offices take 62% more sick days than those who work in their own, enclosed space (Source: Open-plan offices make employees 'less productive, less happy, and more likely to get sick).
Having everyone in their own personal office is pricey, so a popular alternative is the 'cubicle', where individuals are closed off by dividers. However, this can often lead to the same depressing quietness, or isolation.
Whilst some companies reject working from home because the office offers better communication or collaboration, other companies support flexible working as it can save a lot of money by freeing up desk space. Can that work for everyone? The needs of an Internal Account Manager for example are certainly different to those of a Field Sales Executive or Business Development Manager.
A world of changing technology means that more people are using smartphones, laptops and tablets, and a number of salespeople are taking to life-on-the-road, using hot-desks on the rare occasions that they do visit the office. Office culture has changed - meetings take place in coffee shops, on the train or remotely via Skype or Google+ Hangouts.
Could a desk-less office be the future?
Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website.
