These days, it is common knowledge that the work environment has a tremendous impact on your employee’s ability to perform their tasks with the optimal speed and efficiency and, why not, even got some level of enjoyment out of it. So, it shouldn’t really come off as a surprise that office design is constantly undergoing an evolution aimed at discovering what that ideal work environment should look like.
Of course, this constant pursuit also creates a lot of half-baked ideas that didn’t really stand the test of time. Let us take a look then at a couple of certified ways to use a renovation to boost productivity that will get you the results you want.
Include a breakout hub
A breakout area is a space where your employees will be able to take a break, catch their breath, spend some quality time with each other, and hopefully engage in spontaneous brainstorming. This space should be secluded from the rest of the office, but still very easily accessible. If you are running a highly individual-focused office, give your employees a chance to engage in fun group activities. If they, on the other hand, come here from a noisy workspace, they would prefer something more calming and laid back.
Introduce more natural light and leverage colors
Both these design elements have a tremendous impact on the well-being of your employees. Exposure to natural light can do an excellent job of warding off seasonal depression and boosting the workspace mood. Different colors are, similarly, known for inspiring different reactions and emotions. For instance, cool colors like green and blue create a calmer and more focused work environment. Red and yellow are cheerful and they incite action. The combination of these assets can produce very powerful results.
Consider moving to another space
Sure, this may sound like cheating but in some cases, performing the upgrades that will ensure optimal efficiency simply takes too much time, money, and effort so it essentially defeats its purpose. In such cases, you should strongly consider moving to another location that will give you more room to play with. Some new locations may require only slight interventions or simple commercial defit services to be able to meet your requirements. You do need, however, to take into account the costs of moving.
Pay attention to ergonomics
Ergonomics can go a long way in making the workspace much more enjoyable and efficient without asking for any extreme investments. So, how can you make your offices more ergonomic? Well, start by supplying your employees with chairs that will prevent lower back pain and neck disorders. The desks should feature proper height, keep the monitors within the workers’ eyesight and allow free range of movement. The workstations should be laid out in a manner that will minimize sun glare and eye strain.
Experiment with the layout
In recent years, there has been much talk about open office layouts that allow employees to freely roam from one workstation to another and perform their tasks in the way they see the most fitting at the moment. While doing that, workers have complete freedom to interact with their colleagues or enjoy sporadic distractions. Of course, this kind of setting has its own share of pros and cons but the idea is more than worth exploring since it presents a welcome change of pace and brings a new dynamic to the office.
We hope these few examples gave you some general guidelines about office renovations and how you can use these efforts to produce the best possible results. If you stop to think about it, your employees spend about a third of their lives on your premises. If you don’t go out of the way to make the time there more enjoyable and productive you can never hope to get the workforce dealing with various business challenges. Well, now you know where to start.
