Improve Productivity with Better Office Design

Productivity is the lifeblood that drives the success of a business; offices need skilled workers to complete necessary tasks in a timely manner. But, as important as finding the right talent may be, there’s more to office productivity than just being selective during recruitment. 

To get the job done, offices need to give workers the environment they need to work at their best, and that means taking a long, hard look at their office design to see how it can be improved.

There are numerous ways that office design affects employees and their ability to work. By being aware of the needs of your employees, you can discover the best way to help your workers achieve their professional potential!

Take a look at this list to see how better office design can help improve productivity at your office:

1. Office Layout

Your office needs to be a functional, working system where all components can work together to achieve complex and ambitious goals. It needs a layout that facilitates current needs and anticipates future ones. And, because it serves as the fundamental building block of your office, your layout needs to last you until your next major renovation.

To decide upon the right layout for your office, think about your office needs and how they can be served:

• Closed office space: This traditional layout makes for smaller, intimate spaces that provide privacy
• Cubicles: Enclosed spaces give way to a large, open space where workers are partitioned by low walls that provide a smaller degree of privacy
• Open collaborative space: This modern re-imagining does away with walls to allow employees to freely communicate with each other, allowing for more collaborative work experiences.

2. Lighting 

Proper lighting is key to boosting your workers’ productivity. Bright lighting allows workers to see clearly, keeps them alert, and helps reduce headaches and fatigue. If your office suffers from poor lighting, workers can be affected by their mood and morale, leading to drops in office productivity.

Proper office lighting should aim to do better than rows of buzzing fluorescent lights. Consider creating more window space to bring in natural lighting, or think about opening a skylight if the opportunity allows for it.

Keep your employees happy and alert with proper lighting, and they’ll reward you with higher productivity levels.

3. Furniture

After your employees, your furniture is the most important aspect to making your office come to life. Office furniture needs to look professional and representative of your brand; and, more than that, they need to serve the needs of their users by providing functions and features that go beyond the basics. 

Ergonomic chairs and tables can help workers with their posture and reduce fatigue. Stand-sit desks can adjust for workers that need a change in their working conditions. By providing a user experience that is flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions, office furniture can play a big part in increasing office productivity.

Just keep in mind that a compromise needs to be made. If office furniture is too uncomfortable, a worker can’t concentrate; but if it’s too comfortable, they can’t focus. Find this middle ground, and the office work rate will increase.

4. Privacy

Privacy is a vital component of the employee experience. By allocating each employee with their own individual space, employees can feel relaxed and comfortable, feelings that can lead to increased productivity. And while this was primarily an advantage belonging to closed office layouts, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Although privacy is mostly lost in an open concept space, it doesn’t mean that employees have no place to go to concentrate. By dedicating a certain space to quiet workspaces, whether in a separate room or as enclosed booths placed within the larger open office space, employees have a chance to concentrate without any distractions.

By providing different environments that serve different functions, employees get to choose how to work at their best, empowering their role within the organization.

5. Amenities

In order to get your employees to work their best, sometimes you need to take their minds off work–namely, with amenities that reward workers with entertainment and treats. These could include anything from ping pong tables to video games as well as foods like power bars and fruits. Additionally, gyms and other personal services are great amenities that entice workers to make the trip to the office instead of staying home.

Although this type of office space will decidedly change productivity to zero when in use, amenities help employees relax and unwind. By giving workers a chance to rejuvenate, you’re offering them a chance to refocus their efforts so that they feel refreshed and ready when returning to work. As well, consider adopting wellness solutions that keep employees healthy and able to work.

6. Ambiance

Your office environment has a big effect on your employees, and a lot of it has to do with the way it makes them feel. Employees that don’t feel welcome or inspired at work aren’t likely to give it their all. What’s more, if employees feel dissatisfied with their workplace, their disconnection may inspire them to look elsewhere for work.

Instead, look to pep up your office. Instill passion in your worker with a lively workplace. Incorporate bright colors that motivate and inspire. Bring in plant life that infuses your office with vibrant greenery. Encourage productivity with an office that boldly says “I can!”

7. Technology

In order for your employees to do their best, they need the right tools. And for an office workplace, this invariably means one thing: the technological tools your workers need to get the job done.

To make your office as productive as it can be, look into tech upgrades that can bring office-wide improvements on a grand scale. Consider streamlining with a CRM or cloud-based phone systems. Make everyone’s lives easier with automated programs such as automatic time tracking, room scheduling software, package tracking software, and texting platforms. 

8. Control Noise Levels

Collaboration is integral to office productivity, but it can also bring unwanted side effects like noise that disrupts concentration and affects the surrounding work environment.

To control noise levels, consider creating smaller meeting rooms that can accommodate impromptu meetings that won’t disturb others. Conversely, you can create enclosed workspaces that provide quiet, intimate environments where workers can work without interruption.

By focusing on variety for your office design, your workers will be able to adapt to dynamic changes with smart solutions that can help them meet their daily deadlines.

9. Raise the Ceiling

Thinking outside the box takes an open mind, something that can be helped by an open room with a raised ceiling. This type of office design provides a free, unstuffy environment that can be found at famous libraries around the world. Although it is great for the thinking process, a raised ceiling may also bring problems related to increased noise.

10. Plants

A professional environment doesn’t have to be a sterile one. When planning out your office design, don’t forget to neglect adding plants that can inject your workplace with greenery and life. Instead of a simple pot on a counter, consider planning large, human-sized plants that add substance to your room. Or, more ambitiously, try incorporating plants into your office design, such as in a plant wall or as part of a window installation.

In short, incorporate technology as a fundamental part of your office design to ensure that all workers are able to hit the ground running at the start of each work day.

Do you want to increase productivity in your office? Are you looking for an office design that lets your employees fulfill their potential?  Sensyst creates premium office interior designs for all types of businesses. Contact us and let us know how we can help!

Find out how you can improve your office by reading our blog! Learn how you can improve workplace wellbeing in your office, or how you can avoid a disruptive renovation.