Is there a big difference in the way modern, contemporary offices are run compared to their traditional counterparts?

If you work for a relatively new company, the chances are that your place of work will be what is considered a more contemporary office. That means it’s different from how people traditionally imagine an office to be. In their heads, people still often conjure up an image of an old fashioned, ‘Mad Men’ style office, one that’s absolutely silent apart from the constant rattle of typewriters and the loud discussions coming from the boardroom. In these traditional offices, desks are laid out in rows or in small groups, there is no decoration and absolutely no ambience. How times have changed!

Of course there are still many places of work across the world with this traditional office is still in use. In many industries, it just wouldn’t be appropriate to introduce the atmosphere of a more contemporary office – the reason the old style worked so well is that it is very productive and people often work best when there are no distractions! However nowadays, you’re very likely to be working in a far more modern office space.

So, how much do these working environments actually differ? Are contemporary offices really so radically different from their older incarnations? We wanted to find out; so here are some of the biggest differences (and a few of the similarities) between the old and new workplaces….

Decoration

Nowadays, it’s very common for contemporary offices to be decorated with bright colours or images, posters and art work. there might even be some lighting to add ambience, photos of the staff up on the walls – this is a far cry from the plain cream walls and a cork notice board of the past!

Atmosphere

In contemporary offices, it is extremely common for music to be playing on a communal stereo or iPod – and if it’s not, you’ll probably find that staff members have their headphones in and are listening to their own music! This adds a relaxed ambience to the modern office, and takes pressure away from any conversations or phone calls; when there is music playing to gently drown out their voices, people feel more comfortable and confident. This could not be more different from the silence of traditional offices!

Socialising

There was a time when socialising with your colleagues during the working day meant either organising a meeting or making sure you spent your lunch break with them! In this day and age, most contemporary offices will have an area where staff can relax, take a break and have a chat; perhaps a pool table, or a games console. Most offices will now also have an internal messaging or mail system, so if you can’t wait until lunchtime for a chat, you can do it this way instead!

Clearly there have been a lot of big changes between traditional and contemporary offices! Which do you prefer?

If you would like to hire some office space to make your own (whether that’s in a contemporary or traditional style!) check out our office availability or contact us here at Send Business Centre for more information.