Every office functions differently but adjacencies are important no matter the line of work! Check out a few key adjacencies that are critical in your day to day office workstyle.
- Grommet locations
- A grommet is placed in the countertop to allow cables and wiring to pass through to plug into your computer or electronic device. This is a great way to hide cords and to keep them positioned in the back of your countertop. This also saves on your valuable knee space. In new or renovated construction, these should always be field located with the designer/architect/contractor, to align with your outlet locations. This will allow your cords to be in direct alignment when coordinating your grommet and outlet location.
- Another type of grommet that can be used to save space are trash grommets. These grommets are cut into your countertop, typically located beside a sink, and shoots through to an open cabinet below where your trash can would sit. This allows more space in your exam room, break room, etc.
- Eyes on patients and resources
- In designing a medical suite, one of the most important factors is making sure that staff always has patient visibility. Once the patient walks through the door to the time that the patient checks out and leaves the suite, staff members should have effortless visibility to the patients to be able to assist/direct the patient at ease.
- Adjacency to copier and supplies
- All resources should be readily accessible to the staff member – preferably within the same room. This is in reference to a copier, logbooks, copy paper, brochures, products, traditional office supplies, etc. This is important when designing your business office/workstation area. Be sure to allocate a designated copy/work area that includes storage cabinets, freestanding printer location, and other areas of storage specific to your field.
- Adjacencies to support staff members
- Teamwork! Running a clinic or practice is a teamwork effort and certain adjacencies must be maintained when designing your clinic. For example, in a typical business office, you will have a few staff members in the main business office area to check-in and check-out the patients. You may also need an office manager’s office in the same vicinity to monitor and help manage when questions come about. Also, in adjacency to the business office, typically a billing support or insurance manager will need to be near by to help patients with billing support. Best practice when thinking about your space layout is to imagine a workflow diagram – who reports to whom? Who needs the most managerial support?
