The economics of ergonomics
Law firms are starting to rethink the design and use of their workspace.
Back in the 1980s, the PC began replacing the typewriter, and the rules for law office design and equipment changed dramatically. Today, with the profession experiencing more upheaval, firms are again rethinking the design and use of their physical quarters. Trouble is, there’s only so much space to go around.
A new study conducted by Knoll Inc., a designer and manufacturer of office furnishings, suggests that powerful changes are occurring in some of the largest firms in the United States and Canada, affecting the way workspace will be designed and used from now on. “This spells opportunity for those firms interested in understanding the link between workplace design and enhanced collaboration and productivity,” says Christine Barber, Knoll’s Director of Workplace Research.
Here are four trends that law firms must keep in mind if they want to keep their workplace ahead of the curve:
Flexibility, changeability and standards
Law offices are shifting towards an environment that allows them to facilitate change rapidly and cost-effectively. As personnel turn over more frequently and workspace needs shift suddenly, modular furniture, rather than custom design, will become more common.
Technology
More new technologies are facilitating worker mobility — laptops, PDAs, tablet PCs and cell phones, to name some — and presenting opportunities to rethink workplace design. Will you always need room for a bulky PC monitor as flat screens become more affordable?
Collaboration
While lawyers increasingly work in groups, the physical space needed to carry out this work is shrinking. Law firms have to rethink the design of their war technology and software that support teamwork.
Space management
Despite advances in technology, paper storage needs continue to increase: the paperless office is still a myth. At the same time, challenges arise from having to store and manage computer equipment. You can only afford so much space. So how do law offices respond to all of these changes? Lawyers have to become educated and be open to change. “Staying open to new ideas is always a prerequisite for innovation,” says Barber.
For a copy of the Knoll survey, e-mail practicelink@cba.org.
—Mark Kuiack, Editor, CBA PracticeLink
Adapted from National magazine, October 2003
