Workspace Planning Resources Page Contents

• Guidance for Evaluating and Allocating Workspace
• Determining Office Sizes When Designing New Spaces
• Shared Offices In Light of Hybrid and Flexible Work
• Workspace Type Decision Tree Template
• Visuals to Support Workspace Planning Efforts
• Contact
• Office Space Guidelines

Guidance for Evaluating and Allocating Workspace

Assessing Roles and Workspace Needs

Whether evaluating existing buildings or planning new ones, units should adopt a flexible and open-minded approach to workspace assignments. This involves leveraging opportunities from hybrid and flexible work arrangements and exploring possibilities for space sharing. Using the square feet per workspace guidelines as a reference, units should carefully review the unique tasks associated with each position to determine the most appropriate type of workspace. Some positions in a unit or department may require private office space, while a person with similar duties or job title in another unit or department may not.

Cubicles and workstations are ideal space assignments for the vast majority of university positions. They are not only space-efficient and flexible but also work well within a larger ecosystem of office amenities that support different needs. For example, many private meetings, both large and small, in person or virtually, can be accommodated in new spaces like focus rooms, conference rooms, and other elements of the workplace ecosystem. This ecosystem includes various spaces such as flexible collaborative zones, quiet rooms, and meeting spaces, all designed to support different types of work and interactions. Promoting shared spaces as much as possible, especially for individuals with flexible schedules, reimagines the workplace as a dynamic, collaborative environment.

Private offices should only be assigned for individuals whose roles necessitate very frequent private or confidential conversations, in line with the outlined position types in the table above. Shared offices can be assigned to those needing a certain level of privacy or reduced noise levels without the requirement for a fully confidential space. Shared office solutions should also be seriously considered for those who have remote work agreements. Additionally, when a building has varying office space sizes, units should allocate smaller offices to individuals who spend a substantial period of time in other campus spaces or off-site, such as faculty members with dedicated labs. The office is one component of a comprehensive workplace ecosystem and is not intended to accommodate every need because a diverse range of shared spaces can better support different activities. Offices should be smaller to promote sustainability, efficient space use, and less paper-heavy work. Smaller offices reduce the environmental footprint and reflect our increasingly digital interactions

The space planning workflow below can support this effort.

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Space Planning Workflow

Each department works first with their leadership and facilities office to solve internal space needs,
using the ranges and considerations outlined in this document.

With sustainability, stewardship, and being
forward looking as guiding principles, units should always address office space needs within existing
spaces before requesting additional space. Units should avoid construction and renovation wherever
possible. Often, updated furniture and creative reuse of existing spaces can solve both short-term and
long-term needs.

Step 1: Establish a baseline of your current spaces and uses

• Gather floor plans, label the spaces you oversee with the functions, room occupants/staff names, and square footages. Floor plans and space data can be requested from your facilities team.
• Gather staff list and include information like hybrid schedules.
• Use a decision tree (example template provided) to determine the most appropriate type of future work space each staff role could work in.
  • For each staff member note what type of space the role occupies today and what type of space this role could occupy in the future. Focus on the duties of the position, not on preferences or space constraints.
• Tour newly constructed and renovated workspaces to see how your space compares and identify easy-to-solve space solutions for your existing space.
• Connect with and visit nearby departments or buildings to discover nearby spaces and services that may not be fully under your department’s control but could be helpful to your unit if shared.
  • When thinking about the workplace as a whole ecosystem of spaces, remember that such spaces don’t necessarily need to be fully administered by the same department. All units are encouraged to find ways to share their spaces with nearby units.

Step 2: Develop scenarios for rethinking how you currently use your space

• With the baselines established in Step 1, develop scenarios to test out on your floor plans. Try:
  • Moving subgroups or sub-departments within your space to improve programmatic synergies.
  • Test strategic adjacencies (e.g., director and assistant work near each other, bring your student-facing staff closer to your entrance, etc.).
  • Strategic “doubling up” of staff to see your capacity for growth within existing spaces.
  • Compare the sizes of your offices and staff assignments today to the square feet per workspace recommendations in these guidelines.
• Review your support spaces for further space opportunities.
  • Identify spaces that could be rethought or retooled to accommodate your high priority needs.
  • Identify spaces that you’d like to have but don’t. Begin sharing discussions with nearby units if nearby spaces such as these were discovered.
  • Use technology wherever possible to reduce space issues or tensions.
    • Digitize paper records to reduce the need for storage space and bulky furniture.

Step 3: Test out your Step 2 scenarios on your actual floor plans

Once you’ve identified your staff space assignment, core space constraints, future needs and goals,
mark up your internal floor plan to see if you can accommodate your needs within your existing spaces.

• Consider bringing in a neutral, external party to help you in this effort.
  External parties can bring their ideas and solutions that you may never have thought of. You could request
  assistance from your facilities team or leadership. If you do not have this type of internal support,
  contact [email protected] for advice on next steps.

Determining Office Sizes When Designing New Spaces

When designing new spaces for major projects that require new construction, it is not advisable to introduce variability in office sizes within the same building or to base office sizes solely on the current roles of the existing staff and occupants. Roles and needs will inevitably evolve within an ever-changing university environment, and buildings constructed to last a century or longer must be adaptable to these changes. Thus, units should aspire to design offices with similar sizes throughout new buildings to facilitate easier adaptations to changing roles and needs and to meet future requirements effectively. Looking forward, the allocation of private offices should shift to align with modern hybrid work practices. While private offices will remain part of the workspace offering, their proportion should decrease in favor of more open workstyles and private bookable spaces. This approach aims to enhance both collaboration and privacy, fostering a more dynamic and adaptable work environment

The decision tree tool below has been designed to help units navigate this questions when assessing their workspaces.

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Shared Offices In Light of Hybrid and Flexible Work

The square footages in the above table are not the absolute space assignments for an individual but the best dimensions to support work, whether shared or not. A 36 sq ft workstation can be a workplace for an individual who works on campus five days a week or a workspace for two or more people who have flexible schedules and aren’t on campus at the same time. A 100 sq ft office could support two employees, either simultaneously or on a hybrid schedule (examples below). 

As noted earlier in this document, detailed hybrid and flexible work arrangements are not addressed in these guidelines, since these decisions and policies are set at the unit level. However, we encourage all units and departments to think carefully about how its space supports and reflects its flexible work policy and how changes to current space assignments could help reduce space pressures and allow for future office suite amenities to be added. For instance, could two individuals occupying two private offices instead share one office to free up space for a future shared amenity, such as a meeting room or a hoteling office? If an employee’s work arrangement permits them to work remotely for half of the week, how should their workspace be adapted to this hybrid schedule? Is the space being utilized on days when an employee is working remotely? These are a few critical questions units need to reflect upon while planning new spaces or navigating space constraints in existing buildings.

Several units on campus are experimenting with new space approaches and staff assignments in light of hybrid work. The Provost’s Office can assist units in learning about emerging models. Contact [email protected] for more information.

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Workspace Assignment Decision Tree

Edit and adjust this question exemplar below to assess each role or position involved with your space. Focus on the duties of the role, not on existing preferences or space constraints to identify the most appropriate space type for each role. Consider adding additional elements and decision points to reflect your department’s remote/hybrid work arrangements to further assist in determining a space type for an individual.

Question 1: Onsite Frequency

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Workspace Assignment Decision Tree

Edit and adjust this question exemplar below to assess each role or position involved with your space. Focus on the duties of the role, not on existing preferences or space constraints to identify the most appropriate space type for each role. Consider adding additional elements and decision points to reflect your department’s remote/hybrid work arrangements to further assist in determining a space type for an individual.

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Visuals to Support Workspace Planning Efforts

Office and Workstation Layout Sq Ft Exemplars

The examples are based on recent U-M project benchmarks. These are not the only configurations for the square footages represented but serve as examples of what is possible. The office and cubicle designs support best practices in modern office construction. A now common construction practice on U-M campus is the use of sliding doors in the place of traditional swing doors. This has a significant impact on the space needed while maintaining the function and feel of larger spaces. Upwards of 25 sq ft per office of empty space needed for door swings is saved per room. This promotes good stewardship and sustainability.

Shared Office Layout Sq Ft Exemplars

The above are examples of configuration for shared offices. These are not the only possible layouts but demonstrate what is possible.

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Square Feet per Workspace Recommendations Plan View

This plan view provides a top down view of the square feet per workspace ranges from smallest to largest. From this viewpoint it can be seen that most of what is needed in a standard office or workstation can be achieved in a smaller footprint and that the additional space does not necessarily expand on the options of how the space can be used. The effective sizing and spacing of tables and chairs, which are fundamental elements in most work settings. This creates a functional, efficient layout that maximizes space utilization while offering the core components for comfort and productivity.

The square footages in the above table are not the absolute space assignments for an individual but the best dimensions to support work, whether shared or not. A 36 sq ft workstation can be a workplace for an individual who works on campus five days a week or a workspace for 2 or more people who have flexible schedules and aren’t on campus at the same time. A 100 sq ft office could support two employees, either simultaneously or on a hybrid schedule (examples below).

We encourage all units and departments to think carefully about how its space supports and reflects its flexible work policy and how changes to current space assignments could help reduce space pressures and allow for future office suite amenities to be added. For instance, could two individuals occupying two private offices instead share one office to free up space for a future shared amenity, such as a meeting room or a hoteling office? If an employee’s work arrangement permits them to work remotely for half of the week, how should their workspace be adapted to this hybrid schedule? Is the space being utilized on days when an employee is working remotely? These are a few critical questions units need to reflect upon while planning new spaces or navigating space constraints in existing buildings.

Units should explore such opportunities to help solve for its space needs and to demonstrate good stewardship and further our sustainability objectives.

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Contacts for Additional Assistance

Departments should first work with their facilities office and unit leadership to address space needs. Units may also request additional high-level guidance by contacting the Office of the Provost at [email protected]. Units may request detailed space planning assistance, interior design services, or renovation assistance through AEC. Visit umaec.umich.edu for additional information.

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