Do you find your office comfortable? And what about your employees? Do you believe that their workspace is conducive to productivity? Don’t let your office space fall prey to a terribly inefficient style.
In this article, we are going to talk about how to increase productivity through office design. We also seek to make sure that most of these steps are achievable even with a limited budget. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Analyze Your Current Setup
Take a look at your current office design. Determine the particular problem areas that you want to resolve. Take this step as a chance to compute a realistic estimate of how much your renovation project might take as well. Those in need of an additional budget can try online lending channels like Loanin.com.
Come up With a Plan
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Now, list down the problem areas you were able to determine earlier according to your priorities. Remember, focus on areas that can potentially improve your productivity, much like the following:
Lighting
Research points out that lighting plays a big role in work efficiency. Apparently, bright yet cool-toned lighting increases alertness and mental clarity. On the other hand, warm-toned lighting induces creativity and calmness.
In fact, an article published by the Kenan-Flagler Business School by the University of North Carolina points out that blue-enriched lighting even produces the same energizing effects as coffee minus the negative side effects of caffeine in the body.
Temperature
Here’s another factor that plays an essential role in workplace productivityーtemperature. In fact, did you know that males and females have varying temperatures needed for optimal work performance?
Apparently, another study, this time by the University of Southern California, points out that female cognitive performance improves in lower temperatures while males’ suffered.
We do recognize that it’s impossible to please everyone, especially since thermostat preferences vary from person to person. But it’s definitely something to adjust if you find your employees bringing blankets or battery-operated desk fans to work.
Nature
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Biomimicry is an on-going trend in interior design and for good reason. It is the method of incorporating natural elements into an indoor space to create a sense of comfort and safety with the hopes of increasing job satisfaction and of course, productivity.
Wide glass windows and adding indoor plants are always great ideas, but nothing beats building outdoor workspaces with pocket gardens to give your employees an actual respite from the restricting office walls.
Color
Wall paint and treatments provide an excellent opportunity to give your office a drastic makeover minus the cost. Did you know that you can even boost productivity and motivation just by changing wall colors?
That’s due to the psychology of colors. Apparently, colors have the power to influence the human psyche and emotions. The color red, for instance, symbolizes passion and power. Meanwhile, are you aware that the color orange is usually associated with unprofessionalism?
When in doubt, you can always go with white. It represents clarity, confidence, and competitiveness. That’s why it’s not really a big surprise that companies like Apple and Nike have chosen it for their logos.
Noise
White is also great to promote mental clarity and lessen visual distraction, but visual clutter is not the only thing that can hinder one’s focus. So does noise.
That’s why we highly recommend choosing acoustic office furniture to lessen noise pollution. On a budget? Install sound-absorbing wall panels instead. They’re really efficient and can double as wall art.
Wall Art
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Speaking of wall art, be selective in what you hang on your walls. They must reflect the ideas and energy that you want your employees to have. Try to stay away from dark and sad images. Instead, you can display motivating quotes, positive images, or just generally aesthetically-pleasing artworks.
Here’s a quick idea: Trade traditional wall art with a screen that displays positive customer feedback or photos of fun company activitiesーimages that can trigger happy thoughts towards working for the brand.
Ergonomics
Nothing hinders productivity worse than poorly designed office essentials. Non-ergonomic furniture, for instance, can lead to back pain and other health issues that can then impair work performance and cause absences.
This is the reason why we are quite choosy when it comes to choosing office chairs.
You can also consider standing desks as well. Giving your employees the chance to change the height of their work surface will decrease neck pain and promote increased physical activity.
Be selective in computer peripherals as well, especially when choosing the right keyboard and mouse for your employees to use. Extended use of ill-designed gear can significantly decrease typing speed and can even cause wrist pain.
Personal Details
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Finally, don’t forget to give your employees a chance to add personal details to their work stations. Just simply allowing them to place photos of their family on their desk can already result in a significant boost in productivity.
These details serve as a constant reminder of why they should work hard, after all.
Allowing small personal decorative elements on workstations also creates a sense of added work autonomy that can also improve job satisfaction and productivity.
Consider Company Culture
Finally, don’t forget to consider your company’s unique personality and culture when putting these interior design elements together.
There are those who require quiet offices, for instance, while there are teams that need the buzz of energy that only an open workspace can provide. While there are people who are inspired by nature, we also recognize that there are those who function best within enclosed spaces with minimal visual clutter and stimulation.
img source: vivial.net
Conclusion
In the end, it is up to you to achieve the balance needed to create a workspace that encourages both creativity and productivity.
As a parting gift, here’s one last tip when designing your office: always put employee experience at the forefront and you will never go wrong. The elements that we have mentioned above: lighting, temperature, nature, color, and more, all serve to improve it. Once employee experience improves, you can be sure that productivity will surely follow.
