Why Your Office Space Needs To Be More Than Just Functional
Workspace plays an important role in the successful development and growth of any business. Unlike earlier days, where workspace had to be just functional, today it means much more than just helping accomplish the business tasks. Yes, you read it right. Being a business owner, it is crucial for you to know the importance of your workspace in the growth of your business.
Comfortability is key
It is crucial that your employees should be comfortable enough to concentrate on their assigned office tasks to improve their work. For this purpose, it is very important that your organisation should provide them with a working environment that can help to achieve their targets. Moreover, when you have more than one department, it is critical that you design and arrange your office to make the day to day lives of your employees that little bit easier. For example, in the sales department, employees will always be busy calling clients, making it important for them to have privacy and a noise-free environment to continue their sales calls to prospective clients.
With this in mind, let’s have a look at how an office space plays its role in increasing employee productivity to contribute to growing your business.
Invest your time and money in space
Any investment that you make now for your office space will save you money in the long term. As such, when thinking about office design, it is highly important to plan your fixtures in such a way that it increases the comfort level, concentration, and productivity of your employees. If you find that your budget getting stretched when planning all of your inclusions, then do not hesitate to go for it as in the long run, it will give you a great return on your investment.
Furniture that adds to the productivity
To make your employees comfortable in the workplace, it is crucial that you provide quality and durable furniture that will help them relax. In some fast-paced industries, employees can become stressed for various factors, which could affect their daily work routine. However, by creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, you’ll offer them a sanctuary where they can work more efficiently and become less stressed.
For example, a desk where employees have to hunch over will naturally reduce their productivity, due to the discomfort. Moreover, if you have computers in your office, it is crucial that any monitors should be positioned at the eye level of the employees to prevent any long-term neck injuries. Similarly, the chairs should also be ergonomic so that your employees will feel comfortable sitting for hours without hurting their backs.
Appropriate lighting
Lighting plays a significant role in an office environment, simply because if there is sufficient light all around, it will positively and hugely affect the energy of the employees. However, you should look to create a nice balance of natural and artificial light sources, so that your employees can still benefit from absorbing vitamin D from the sun’s rays.
Poor or dim lighting in the office will lower your team’s productivity and can also have detrimental effects on the eyesight of your employees if they are working under these conditions for extended periods of time. As such, it’s a good idea to try using different kinds of lighting in various areas of your office to see what works best for your employees. Additionally, you could also try changing their colours at different times to boost the focus of your workers, as different colour lighting can affect the moods of your staff.
Bring on the de-clutter concept
Cluttered spaces are commonly known to decrease the productivity of your staff since, when your employees have to spend the majority of their time in searching for their stuff, it frustrates them. Organised spaces always boost energy and focus at work, but it will also have a knock-on effect to your employees and they will help to ensure tidiness is maintained.
Whenever you look to design or redesign your office, you should remove any unnecessary equipment, so that your office looks more organised, spacious and clean. Therefore, it is crucial that you invest your time on the arrangement of the office space so that it looks clean and well-organised.
Bring in small plantations
If you’re looking to brighten up your office space, then why not ‘go green’ when you think of designing your office from scratch? Natural plants have a huge effect on the productivity and moods of employees working in an office, as they help to purify the air. Not only that, but by adding some greenery into your office space, you will make it look more inviting and colourful to visitors.
Moreover, plants play a major role in contributing to the energy levels of the workers and increasing their productivity in turn.
Other points
Aside from the points already discussed above, there are a few other points that you can consider to improve your employees’ productivity and growth of your business.
- Sound and music can play a vital role in affecting your employees’ work, especially when focus is needed for longer periods of time. Music can work the best sometimes to improve the concentration and productivity, so it could be a good idea to allow your employees to use headphones while working..
- Try avoiding distractions in your office like mobile phones and tablets that lower the productivity, as well as the focus on work.
- Office colour scheme also plays a major role in affecting your office environment, so why not bring in bright colours to boost the energy levels at work.
Ultimately, an office space has not to be just functional, but it also has to have a powerful impact on your employee’s productivity and your business growth too. If you’re looking to improve your office design or refurbish, then why not visit Egan Reid to find innovative ideas for your office space.