Design Tips for a More Productive Office Space
It’s not just good pay and benefits that motivate office workers to be more productive. Building an environment in which people feel more productive is where you should start, which is why all companies should look to office interior design ideas that will inspire productivity. Below are some ideas to get you started as you plan out the best-possible office space for your productive workforce.
1. Give People Space to Move, and Keep Movement Easy
The first design point concerns movement and space. Office workers easily feel trapped at their desks when they’re more hemmed in with tight cubicle walls or many desks crammed in together in a small space. The best idea is to give each person room to stand, stretch and move comfortably. They should be able to use a sitting or standing desk or combination without fear of disrupting others around them.
On top of that, movement around the office should also be free and unfettered. If there are parts where bottlenecks and tight spaces are made by clutter, too much furniture or other issues, then realign the design to create a more free-moving and flowing space.
2. Get Natural Light and Plants
Two elements of nature that will go a long way to improving morale and productivity are natural light and plants. Open up the window blinds and let there be light. Offices who rely too much on fluorescent lights are depressing places to work. Using more natural light will also help your office save on energy bills, so there’s a bonus there.
As for plants, favour those that provide some element of function as well as beauty. Plants can easily look nice, but it’s even better if they’re doing something for you like oxygenating the room, or keeping pests and insects like mosquitoes away. For oxygen, aloe vera plants are good, as are spider plants, bamboo, areca palms and ficus plants. For keeping insects away lavender is a good bet, as are marigolds, rosemary, citronella and others.
3. Create Workspaces That Accommodate Personal Tech
Your staff should have easy arm's-reach access to everything they need to keep their technology going. The more generous office might invest in modern desk tidies that include a wireless device charging pad, or computer stands with built-in USB ports and type-c ports for easy plug-in and charging.
If your office uses desktop computers, then invest in all-in-one units that mean no one has to clamber under their desk to check the connections of peripherals to the main computer tower. Get wireless keyboards and mice to really create a clutter-free and streamlined desk space. Simple steps like these can do wonders for your team’s productivity.
4. Make Collaboration Easy from the Desk
When designing your layout, if you set up individual teams and departments to be sitting in a kind of “natural conference” layout, then collaborating becomes easier and more efficient as no one has to leave their desks when it comes to a quick brainstorming session or a run-through for an upcoming event. The team leader or other supervisor can just stand and talk to the group as they are.
Strategically placing cubicle walls, plant walls and other things to demarcate departments has the added bonus of creating a space that will contain the sounds of such informal conferences so that they don’t disturb other teams. The time saved in not having to go to a meeting room every time they need to talk can be a real boon to productivity.
5. Include a Rest and Recreation Space
Part of your design should include a dedicated break room, or rest room that includes more comfortable furniture, free spring water, good snacks and hot drinks on offer and more. The nicer you make it, the more people will value it as a part of their working day. The promise of rest time as a reward for finishing tasks on time or ahead of time is a great incentive to get more productive.