When we think of the necessity of quality office space planning, we often think about increasing productivity. Our first thought usually isn’t about security but that might be one of the most pressing concerns. A recent article by Strategy&’s Matt Palmquist, titled “The Security Risk in the Cubicle Next Door,” explores the ever present risk of employees causing security breaches and what causes them to make those decisions. A huge factor is worker happiness, which can directly link to the design of the office. When planning your office space, it’s important to think of the most effective ways to invest in your employees. The expert designers and project managers at Office Space Planners are here to assist you through the process.
According to Palmquist, researchers published a new study on office security in Information and Management. Palmquist says, “The authors conducted in-depth interviews with frontline workers, managers, and information security professionals—CIOs and network administrators—at large firms in a variety of industries across the United States. Points of contention quickly emerged. For example, 39 percent of managers cited hackers as the biggest danger, whereas only 4 percent of security specialists agreed, citing threats such as Trojans, viruses, or worms as more dangerous. But in reality, a company’s own staff can be even more vexing: Almost 60 percent of security professionals pinpointed employees as the most likely source of accidental or intentional breaches. The most essential bulwark against cybercrime appears to be a happy workforce, according to the study. The interviews revealed two factors that led employees to consciously betray their firms: the knowledge that the proprietary information in a database could be sold to competitors, or a desire to exact revenge on the company for some kind of perceived slight”
Lana Bortolot of Entrepreneur looks at how office design specifically factors into employee happiness in an article titled, “Designing a Better Office Space.” Bortolot writes, “You can thank the open office movement for starting that conversation, turning concepts such as collaboration and transparency into convention. But the new buzzwords on every workplace designer’s tongue are incubation, cross-pollination, symbiosis and co-working–concepts that are causing even more walls to come down and hierarchies to flatten further. In today’s parlance, the corner office is no longer seen as a prize.” When the hierarchies are eliminated and employees have more opportunities to collaborate and interact in a positive way, they are much more likely to be happy with their work.
Creating an office design plan that facilitates an abundance of positivity and productivity is not a task for amateurs. You will need experts who will save you countless time and money through the process. At Office Space Planners, we have designers and project managers with decades of combined experience and education in the areas of interior design, space planning, computer aided design, drafting, corporate office relocation management, project management, ergonomics and systems furniture. Our services include analysis, commercial space planning, project management, and move coordination.
Office security is no joke and making your employees happy with a productive, positive office design could make all the difference. For your office design needs, look no further than Office Space Planners.
