Office Makeovers That Boost the Bottom Line

Researchers have said for years that the physical workspace
of a business factors directly into productivity, job satisfaction, and, yes — profitability.
Yet relatively few companies practice what everyone loves to preach: Bigger
common areas! No cube farms! More natural light! For the most part, Bad Design
rules at companies of every size.

Problem is, the nature of work itself has changed dramatically in the last decade. The old cubicles-and-conference-rooms format actually hinders today's work style of flexible teams and spontaneous collaboration. Companies that keep turning a blind eye to workspace design won't just be fielding more gripes from employees — they might be going out of business.

Start rethinking your office space with our Crash Course on how to design a better workplace. Then, take a
look at how Microsoft and other big companies reconfigured
their offices for changing modes of work. And if you don't believe that
design matters, just take a look at our image gallery of best and worst office models.