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Optimizing Office Space

The purpose of space optimization recommendations is to provide actionable recommendations for optimizing office space in hybrid and remote work environments. By rethinking workstation assignments, coworking arrangements, and shared resources, departments can reduce their space footprint while maintaining efficiency and collaboration. This guide outlines best practices for implementing space optimization strategies and offers practical tools to help teams adapt their workspaces to meet evolving needs. Use this webpage as a roadmap to plan, implement, and refine your approach to creating flexible and functional office spaces.

Space Types

Below are key terms used throughout this page, commonly associated with coworking spaces. Some definitions include visual aids to help illustrate their meaning.

Workstation
an office, desk, or cubicle

  • Assigned: designated for the use of one or more specific people
  • Private workstation: a workstation assigned to one specific person
  • Shared assigned workstation: a workstation designated to only be used by a specific set of people
Coworking space
a workstation or set of workstations available to be used by any employee

  • Hoteling: a workstation you can reserve for a certain length of time
  • Touchdown space: non-reservable workstations that can be used when they are empty. Sometimes referred to as “hot desks”
Phone booth
a small private space that fits one person and is used to take phone or video calls.
Huddle room
a non-reservable, small private space used for meeting with 2-4 people.
Meeting room
a reservable room with a large table that seats 5+ people.
Lounge area
comfortable seating, open area typically structured as a social space to take a break or eat lunch.

Recommendations

The below recommendations are suggestions that can help you improve your space optimization. Depending on your functional operations you should pick the best solutions for you.

If you’re looking to optimize your office space for a team of predominantly hybrid workers but aren’t sure where to start, schedule a 30–60-minute consultation with Facilities Planning and Design. During this meeting, be prepared to provide details about your team’s work, the number of hybrid employees, your current space allocation (including building name, floor numbers, and specific areas shared with other groups), and your team’s schedules (such as shared in-office days or staggered team rotations). Together, you can co-create a tailored plan for more creative and efficient use of your space. This consultation can be valuable both as an initial step or as a follow-up after implementing solutions outlined in this guide. Consults are available year-round and can be scheduled by emailing spacegov@unc.edu.
The shift to hybrid work presents an opportunity to optimize the use of existing office spaces. If your unit is facing challenges in meeting space demands, consider implementing the following workstation assignment recommendations to maximize efficiency and make the best use of your available space.

Workstation Assignment Recommendations
Days in the office/week Workstation Recommendation
4-5 Days (per employee) Should be assigned a private workstation
Combined 4-5 Days (multiple employees) If 2+ employee’s schedules total 4-5 days in the office, they can be assigned a shared workstation
0-3 Days (per employee) Should not be assigned, and employees should have access to hoteling space

Hybrid and Remote Work Eligibility

To determine if your staff is eligible for hybrid work or how to effectively transition to hybrid work, you should visit UNC-Chapel Hill Human Resources’ Flexible Work Arrangements for University Employees page.

Our campus is comprised of many buildings of different age, purpose, shape and configuration; therefore, we provide recommendations as a starting point. When determining the appropriate size office for an employee, there are three main factors to consider:

  1. How frequently does the employee have private conversations? Could a meeting or huddle room be used for those private conversations?
  2. How frequently does the employee work with sensitive material?
  3. Does the employee have an accommodation that would require a private office?
The assignment of multiple offices to a single faculty or staff member is discouraged unless there is a demonstrated operational need. If a secondary workstation is necessary, we recommend the following guidelines:

  1. The secondary space is strongly encouraged to be a shared workstation.
  2. It must be located in a different building from the primary office.
  3. The secondary office, if not shared, should be smaller than the primary office when the building allows.
For departments with a predominantly remote or hybrid workforce, converting traditional office spaces into coworking areas presents an opportunity to reduce the department’s overall space footprint. By optimizing your space, you can create a flexible, dynamic environment that supports collaboration, productivity, and team engagement. The following recommendations will guide you in designing an effective coworking plan tailored to your office’s needs.

This section outlines operational suggestions, work modes, best practices for team scheduling, and guidance on piloting the ideas you would like to implement.

Optimizing your office space involves thoughtful planning and providing essential resources to ensure employees can work efficiently and comfortably. Below are key operational suggestions to enhance the functionality of your space:

Space Coordinator

Designate a space coordinator, typically a current administrative staff member, to oversee day-to-day space operations. Their responsibilities include resolving facilities issues, assisting with IT troubleshooting, managing mail, and ensuring the workspace is clean and well-equipped. This person should also be responsible for updating the SPOTS survey tool on a regular basis.

Booking Software

Implement booking software (e.g., Outlook, AndCards, Coworks) to allow employees to reserve workstations and meeting rooms. This system ensures everyone can confidently plan their on-site workdays knowing they’ll have an available space. If using Outlook, it can be helpful to list all available spaces in an easily accessible place. For example, the Service Center for Excellence keeps a list on their reservable workspaces webpage.

Technology

Standardize technology at workstations and meeting rooms to support seamless productivity:

  • Workstations: Equip with monitors, docking stations with multiple port/cord options, mice, and keyboards.
  • Meeting Rooms: Include hybrid-friendly tools such as cameras and microphones for virtual collaboration.
Access and Security

Provide secure and convenient access to workspaces using tools like keys, fobs, or OneCard systems.

Parking

For teams with hybrid or remote schedules, daily parking options through Transportation and Parking can provide flexibility. Employees can utilize tools like ParkMobile to locate and pay for parking. Collaborate with your department’s parking coordinator for tailored solutions.

Accommodations

Consult with the EOC Accommodations team to address any building or staff-specific accommodation needs, ensuring your space is inclusive and accessible.

Office Supplies and Tools

Centralize commonly used supplies and tools for easy access. These may include paper, pens, sticky notes, markers, and tools like printers, paper cutters or rolling whiteboards.

Secure Storage
  • Personal Storage: Provide lockers or other secure spaces for employees to store personal items (e.g., sweaters or specialized tools).
  • Private File Storage: Ensure there are secure locations for storing confidential or sensitive files.
Housekeeping Policies
  • Provide cleaning supplies for shared workspaces.
  • Centralize trash collection to communal areas, as individual office trash bins may not be regularly emptied by housekeeping.
Workstation Mix and Focus Spaces

Ratios for workstation types and focus spaces may vary depending on the work performed, department culture, percent on-site, and operational needs. Scheduling a space consult with Facilities Planning and Design can help you determine the optimal mix for your department(s).

Workstation and focus space mixes to accommodate different levels of collaboration can include:

  • Neighborhoods: Create zones for varying activities, such as collaborative/noisy areas and quiet zones for focused work.
  • Phone Booths/Focus Rooms: A space that fits one person and provides a private area for calls or virtual meetings to avoid disrupting others in open spaces.
  • Huddle rooms: small private space for meetings with 2-4 people
Going through the work modes exercise can help analyze your team’s work patterns and how they allocate their time in the office. Before starting the exercise, it can be helpful to review the HR percent on-site data for your team. It is important to note that percent on-site is a system office reporting expectation, and more information on the policies regulating hybrid and remote work can be found on UNC-Chapel Hill Human Resources’ Flexible Work Arrangements for University Employees page.

Work modes can be categorized into four main categories outlined below.

  • Independent Work:
    • Routine Tasks: Tasks that don’t require significant focus, such as responding to emails.
    • Deep Focus Work: Tasks requiring significant focus, like content creation, spreadsheet work, or reading documents.
  • Collaborative Work:
    • Sharing Information: Sharing updates or reviewing progress.
    • Problem Solving and Creating: Team-based activities like brainstorming or problem-solving.
  • Networking and Relationship Building:
    • Time spent with others in informal or social settings, such as team-building exercises, celebrations, or chance encounters.
  • Recharge:
    • Personal time for mental breaks, lunch, or short walks to rejuvenate.
When planning for coworking, you have two main options for understanding your team’s work modes: Self-Report and Supervisor Reflection. Both methods offer valuable insights, but the approach you choose should align with your team dynamics and goals. Regardless of the method, it’s important to communicate to your team that there are no wrong answers. The goal is to gain a better understanding of how they work, so you can make informed decisions about space usage.

Share Work Modes with Your Team

Begin by sharing the different work modes with your team. Ensure they understand the purpose of each mode and how it contributes to both their individual productivity and the overall success of the team. Clarify that the goal is not to judge how they spend their time, but to improve the office environment to better suit their needs.

Track Time in Each Mode

Ask your team to track their time in each of the work modes for the next two weeks. This data will offer you a snapshot of how much time is spent on independent tasks (like routine work or deep focus), collaborative activities (such as meetings or content creation), networking, and recharging. Encourage your team to be as honest as possible in tracking their time, reinforcing that the feedback is for optimization purposes, not evaluation.

  • Self-Report Method: If you choose the self-report option, ensure your team knows that the exercise is designed to help optimize their workspace and better understand team needs. Make sure they feel comfortable sharing accurate data, as this will help create the most effective coworking plan.
  • Supervisor Reflection Method: As a supervisor, you can also reflect on the work modes based on your understanding of your team’s job responsibilities. Think about the type of tasks they typically engage in and how much time each employee likely spends in each mode. This can help you cross-check self-reported data or serve as a starting point if you prefer to guide the process more actively.
Analyze the Data

After the two-week tracking period, gather the data and analyze it to understand your team’s working habits. Reflect on the following:

  • Collaboration and Content Creation: How much time does your team spend collaborating with others or creating content? Do these activities align with your team’s goals for innovation or problem-solving?
  • Networking and Socializing: How often does your team engage in networking or social interactions? Is there an opportunity to foster a stronger sense of community and connection?
  • Remote vs. In-Person Work: Based on the data, assess how much of your team’s work can be done remotely versus in the office. How many employees benefit from working on-site 4+ days a week, 1-3 days a week, or less than one day per week?
Supervisor Reflection

In addition to analyzing the self-reported data, take some time to reflect on each team member’s role and responsibilities. Think about how their job demands align with the different work modes:

  • Routine Tasks: Do certain employees need a quiet, focused environment for tasks like reading documents or answering emails?
  • Collaboration: Who in your team needs frequent collaboration for content creation or brainstorming? Are there individuals who thrive in meetings or creative sessions?
  • Networking & Recharge: Is there a balance between individual work and the need for social interaction or breaks?

Reflecting on the individual needs of your team members will help you better understand their work modes, and guide how to structure your coworking space to support their success.

By understanding the work modes of your team—whether through self-report or supervisor reflection—you can make data-driven decisions to create flexible spaces that support independent tasks, collaboration, networking, and recharging. This analysis will provide the foundation for a coworking plan that meets both the functional and social needs of your team.

It can be helpful to have an outside perspective to help analyze the data you’ve collected. The Facilities, Planning and Design team can help you think through how to adjust based on the data you’ve collected. You can schedule a space consult to discuss the data by emailing spacegov@unc.edu.

Depending on your team’s level of collaboration, you may want to consider implementing rotational scheduling, sometimes referred to as team days, where the whole team or certain cohorts of the team come in to have collaborative meetings. Team days can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on your team’s level of collaboration. Some departments may do rotational scheduling by assigning certain people to A or B days and having A and B people that share the same workstation. If you would like assistance thinking through rotational scheduling you can schedule a space consult to discuss the data by emailing spacegov@unc.edu.
Establishing an internal space optimization committee is a strategic way to ensure efficient use of space within your school, department, or unit. This committee, composed of a diverse group of leaders representing various functions, would be responsible for evaluating annual space optimization metrics to make internal data-driven decisions. Their responsibilities could include assigning or reassigning space, developing plans for improvement, and determining which strategies from a broader guide or framework should be implemented. Additionally, the group could review internal requests for space allocation or adjustments, ensuring that changes align with organizational priorities and operational needs. By leveraging diverse perspectives, the committee can foster collaboration and drive thoughtful, equitable space management practices.
Walking all spaces allocated to your school, department, or unit each quarter or semester provides a clear understanding of how effectively the space is being used. Regular walks can help identify underutilized areas, potential opportunities for optimization, and spaces that may need maintenance or upgrades. They also offer insights into whether current configurations align with your team’s evolving needs, such as hybrid work setups or increased collaboration. By proactively assessing your space, you can make informed decisions to enhance functionality and better support your team’s goals.
An Annual Space Organization Day is a great opportunity to declutter, streamline your workspace, and repurpose valuable space for other uses. Here’s how to organize an effective and engaging event:

  1. Choose a Date and Spread the Word
    • Select a day that works for your team’s schedule and dedicate it to decluttering files and storage areas.
    • Announce the event in advance and explain the purpose: freeing up space for new uses, improving efficiency, and refreshing the work environment.
    • Encourage a casual and relaxed atmosphere by inviting everyone to wear casual attire for the day.
  2. Prepare Tools and Resources
    • Shred It Bins: Provide secure shredding bins to dispose of outdated or sensitive documents responsibly.
    • Surplus Collection: Identify unused furniture or equipment that can be repurposed or removed and coordinate with surplus management.
    • Cleaning Supplies: Stock the office with cleaning materials, such as wipes, paper towels, and trash bags.
  3. Motivate with a Friendly Competition
    • Introduce a competition to add excitement and motivate participation.
    • Create fun award categories like “Most Space Freed Up,” “Best File Overhaul,” or “Team Declutter Champions.”
    • Offer small prizes or certificates to recognize standout efforts.
  4. Provide Clear Guidelines
    • Explain the benefits of repurposing freed-up space for more productive or collaborative uses.
    • Share clear criteria for what should be kept, discarded, shredded, or sent to surplus.
    • Assign team leads to coordinate and ensure smooth participation throughout the day.
  5. Celebrate the Results
    • Conclude the day with a brief gathering to acknowledge the team’s efforts.
    • Announce competition winners and thank everyone for contributing to creating a more efficient and adaptable workspace.
    • Share before-and-after photos to highlight the impact of the cleanup.

By framing the event as a way to create new opportunities for the use of office space, you can motivate your team to engage fully while making the workplace more flexible and efficient.

Implementation

Once you have decided on the recommendations you would like to pilot, you should work with your leadership team to create a change management plan.