Office design and how you decide to furnish a workspace can end up having a significant impact on overall efficiency and productivity amongst your employees. There are a variety of aspects you should carefully take into consideration when creating an office that gets the very best out of your staff members. Here are some elements that we recommend you focus on to motivate your team.
Light is important
How much exposure to natural light will staff get in the office space? Maximising the opportunity for light in the workspace is key to workforce productivity and boosting mood in the office.
Research published in the Journal of Sleep and Sleep Disorders showed that a lack of natural light in an office had a considerable effect on staff’s quality of life. Dark space led to a lack of motivation, so if you are looking to inspire your employees, lots of light is an important consideration to look at.
Office ergonomics
Giving thought to what can be changed or improve overall working conditions (for example making sure that office chair heights can be altered to the height of the employee’s eye level) should be of huge importance. Thinking about office ergonomics can help to reduce health problems, such as neck or back pain. This could help to reduce staff absenteeism in the long term.
Carefully consider materials
Another element to consider is the office materials you want to use. We aren’t just talking about the visual impact of these materials, but also how sustainable they are. Think about how long these materials are likely to last before descending into wear and tear, as well as how it feels. All of these things can have an impact on the workspace, as well as your budget!
Create a balanced workspace
When putting together a design for an office space, you should take into consideration the typical working personalities and working styles within your team. For example, what we mean by this is to think about creating rooms that foster collaboration (such as by having rooms with whiteboards and comfortable, cosy breakout areas).
Equally, think about also creating quiet, peaceful areas too in the workplace, so that staff can have alone time should they need it, so they can ultimately be more productive.
Think about plants
Don’t underestimate the power of plants! They can have a huge impact on workplaces.
This is because having plants in offices has a number of perks, including reducing stress, noise levels and helping to purify the air too, according to a number of studies.
What about artwork?
Artwork can help to boost creativity amongst team members, according to research carried out by Artiq. Displaying art around the office also helps to boost morale, as it makes the space more aesthetically pleasing, and therefore makes it a more pleasant place to work in.
Food and drinks stations are key
These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a brand new office space in London that doesn’t come with a food and beverage area for its staff. Keep in mind that if your staff feel cared about, this is likely to benefit your company considerably in the long term.
We strongly recommend making the kitchen and coffee areas a place that people feel happy to relax and chat in, so they can completely unwind whilst they away from their desk.