5 Design Tips For A More Productive Office
Where you work has a huge impact on how you work, your ability to focus and remain focused, as well as your overall ability to be productive. Studies on offices and their productivity show that the biggest factor that affects your employees is their physical surroundings, so the design of your office is incredibly important, not just from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a productivity point of view. In fact, it’s been said that a well-designed office space can increase employees’ productivity by up to 20%, and yet, some employers still don’t consider workplace design a good business investment. Money and time are likely to be the main constraints, however workplace productivity almost certainly compensates for both of these in the long term, and there are several design tricks to help you achieve exactly that.
Lighting
Lighting is by far one of the most important factors in fueling focus and inspiration, but it’s also one of the most overlooked parts of an office’s design. If you have poor lighting, it can result in a multitude of issues such as eye strain, fatigue, headaches, general irritability and even depression. It is also thought that the correct amount of bright lighting can provide a caffeine-like energy boost, so installing suitable lighting as well as allowing plenty of natural light to travel through your office will go a long way towards increasing workforce productivity and overall wellbeing.
Colour
The colours that surround us have an effect on both our moods and brain function, evoking both physical and emotional responses. That’s why choosing the right colour for your workplace is imperative if you’re looking to maximise its potential. But it’s hard to know which colour to choose and what effect it’ll have – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
- Blue – Calming, relaxing and serene
- Yellow – Mood enhancer and energy increaser
- White – Inspires cleanliness and purity
- Green – symbolic of prosperity and reduces anxiety
- Purple – Inspires creativity
- Orange – Inspires energy and enthusiasm
- Pink – Helps relieve feelings of anger and aggression
Spaces
Not everyone is the same, so if you design your office one way, it goes without saying that there will probably be a few people that aren’t as satisfied. Some workers, for instance, prefer a quiet space that they can anchor down in and simply crack on with their work without distraction, and there are others who like the social buzz an office can provide. According to experts, the best kind of offices are those which cater for everyone. So this means creating spaces in which every type of worker can be happy. Creating quieter areas for people to work by themselves, along with more open areas for collaboration, as well as meeting rooms which can combine both these things will go a long way in making your workers feel more valued and happy, thus becoming more productive.
Personality
They say an office should reflect the business and your brand, so why settle for a generic office space? By adding some personality to it such as artwork and plant life, not only are you cementing the image of your company, but you’re also creating a workspace that will both inspire and motivate your workers. The artwork in the office works not only to inspire and increase creativity, but it also makes your office incredibly professional and welcoming to clients and customers. Plant life works great too, as it can act as a natural relaxant for your office. Additionally, it inspires investment into the office itself from the workers, as the plants need feeding and watering from time to time.
Breakout Rooms
Everyone needs to unwind from any stress they might be feeling in the workplace. Whether you implement a lunch spot or an informal meeting room, if your employees have somewhere to go to escape the stresses of their job, it will make them feel more valued and it’ll inspire them to be more productive. It’s not just stress breakout rooms can help with either, as they can be great for those looking to relieve themselves of the eye strain from staring at a screen or neck and back discomfort from sitting in the same position.
This is a contribution by Elite Partitions & Interiors – an office refurbishment company with over 35 years combined experience specialising in office fit-out, office partitions, and glass partitions.
Photo credits: eOffice
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