Have you ever considered how an office design impacts productivity?
To some, it sounds surprising, but in reality, the office appearance plays an important role when it comes to the quality of work.
Many companies forget about office design. It is not something that happens intentionally, but more because business owners don’t realise the potential it has, and so don’t give it the importance it deserves.
Of course, every business owner wants their employees to be satisfied. Happy staff equals productive staff after all! But when they are thinking about workers’ happiness, they may have in mind work hours, benefits, rewards and so on.
Nobody thinks about office design.
However, various studies show that office design plays an incredibly important role in the level of satisfaction and employee productivity.
Unsurprisingly, thinking about renovating the entire office and the costs of it might give you a headache.
However, you don’t have to worry too much; there are plenty of ways to design an office space in a way that doesn’t require a lot of time or money but still gives amazing results.
How to Improve Office Design
The best thing you can do when you are thinking of changing something in the workspace is to consult with people who are working there.
You can also, if your budget allows, seek the support of professional interior designers
If there are things you want to DIY in the office, you’ll be in need of good power tools. If you’re a power tool newbie, check out this article on the best power tool brand for your needs.
Office Furniture
An office job will normally require sitting in front of the computer for hours. If you, or members of your staff have back and neck pain or eyesight problems because of this, it’s probably time to rethink office furniture. There are a few things to consider when buying and using new chairs and tables:
- If you are working in the office, ask for an adjustable chair that will allow you to sit in a way that your eyes are at least 4 -36 inches away from the screen.
- Looking after your back is important: try to use pillows to support it. A rule of a thumb for an office chair is that it should allow you to sit in a reclined position, so your back doesn’t suffer.
- The footrest is there for a reason! Use it.
Lighting
Working in a space without enough light can be super depressing.
Subsequently, it is tough for people to be productive in an environment that is poorly lit. Other than that, it can cause eyesight problems, headaches, and a plethora of other health issues.
If you want to improve productivity, one of the things you can do for your office design is to provide more light in the space. The easiest way is to enable natural light to reach the interior. If this isn’t possible for any reason, try to think about artificial lights that are created to mimic natural lighting.
Providing good lighting, along with having a friendly colour scheme can be especially critical in smaller workplaces. Making little changes can help people feel better about their office environment.
Paint the Walls
Many people tend to paint their walls white because they perceive it as clean. While it may be okay for a bedroom, it turns out to be the wrong choice for the office. Tests have shown not only that people aren’t more productive in offices with white walls, but they also make more mistakes.
When you are choosing a colour for your office, try to consider how they impact emotions. For instance, blue and green have a pretty calming effect and are excellent for people who are doing creative work; red increases heart rate and blood pressure; yellow, in moderation, is beneficial for optimism, and so on.
It is recommended that you think about the essential qualities you want to encourage in your staff and paint the walls accordingly.
Plants
When thinking about improving office design towards increasing staff productivity, you should also think about plants! As human beings, we tend to connect with nature. This means that many of us have gardens or at least some house plants that we take care of.
Modern office interiors that include indoor plants prove to be a much more productive environment than those that don’t.
Plants are beneficial because they do things like reduce stress, clean the air, boost creativity, make the space more attractive.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of ways for how you can improve office design without a lot of effort or significant investments.
Doing a little can mean a lot to people working in your company. Above are just a few small ideas. However, if you are interested, There are plenty of other things you can change! For example you could reduce the noise level, to improve working conditions in your office.
Do you have some ideas that we didn’t mention today?
About the author
Ronald is a freelance journalist and a blogger, born and living in San Diego. Before becoming a freelancer, he worked in the newspaper office, and each day he thought that it sends out quite a depressing energy. After quitting, he became interested in interior design and began writing about it.
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