6 No-Fail Office Design Ideas for a Comfortable and Productive Staff
By: Jane Donovan
Did you know that the design of your office has a direct impact on your employees? More than just a paycheck and benefits, today’s top professionals are looking to for a work environment that encourages collaboration and creativity while reducing stress. When your staff is in an office space that is safe, clean, healthy, and supports their well-being, essentially, they are able to be more productive.
If you were to take a look around your workspace, would you say that you’ve provided your staff with a comfortable environment that allows them to perform their best? If not, there are large and small changes you can make to turn things around.
Open Office Space
Gone are the days where employees expect to work in an office or cubicle all day. Today’s professionals prefer a more open environment that encourages teamwork and collaboration. Tearing down walls and creating an area where employees can see, communicate, and interact has become a popular concept for larger organizations.
Private Areas
Of course, there will be times where employees need to work on individualized projects without interruptions. Creating space within your commercial property to allow privacy and quiet when it is necessary to further increases productivity. This could be designated offices, a boardroom, or stand-alone booths or cubicles.
Kitchens
Employees spend a better part of their day in the office and often get hungry and thirsty. To boost productivity, save time, and encourage better health, you might consider investing in a kitchen for your employees. Working with experienced contractors, business owners can design a kitchen or kitchenette that would provide staff with access to a stove, microwave, refrigerator, and an eating area to safely prepare coffee, tea, lunch, or snacks throughout the day.
Lounge Areas
Lounge areas are great for productivity. They give your staff an area where they can take a break, communicate with others, and recharge. Designing an area that provides comfort and relaxation can help to also ward off high levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace. Adding comfortable seating like sofas with ottomans, a few coffee tables, and perhaps something for entertainment like a flatscreen or a game table.
Elements of Nature
There’s something about connecting more with nature that enhances overall wellness and improved performance for the average person. Adding elements of nature in your office design helps to improve your staff’s emotional and physical well-being. It can also be idealistic for helping to relieve stress. Exposure to sunlight is a great place to start. Installing ventilation blinds gives employees control over how much sunlight gets into the office. Another way to bring a touch of nature into the office might be to consider water fountains, house plants, and perhaps outdoor spaces where individuals can eat, socialize, or work outside on days the weather permits.
Ergonomic Workstations
Sitting for long periods of time can be just as detrimental, if not more so than standing. Incorporating newer technologies into the workstation provide employees with more flexibility. Ergonomic chairs, for example, are comfortable desk chairs with features that allow for more lower-back and lumbar support.
Standing desks or adjustable height desks are other pieces of ergonomic furniture worth investing in for fewer workplace injuries and increased comfort. They allow users to adjust the desk to chair level or higher when they prefer to stand and work.
If you want to attract and keep top talent in today’s professional climate it’s important to look beyond the salary and benefits. The best talent who is looking to remain with an organization for years to come is essentially looking for a brand that prioritizes their comfort and well-being. Adding elements such as those discussed above to your office design proves that you’re willing to go the extra mile.
1832 Views