Whether you work from home or run a business, your office interior can have a big impact on your organisation and productivity. Keeping everything in order can transform a space and make your processes more efficient.
The modern office is almost unrecognisable from workplaces of the past. These days you can get creative, making them vibrant and exciting places that inspire people and raise productivity levels.
These positive changes to office life can help keep your workforce raring to go:
Introduce bright airy spaces
Office layouts with airy spaces, high ceilings and big windows are great for morale. Natural sunlight – rather than artificial light – can help to avoid headaches, as well as creating a positive atmosphere. It can also make your office feel more spacious and welcoming, giving a great first impression for visiting clients.
If there’s a way that you can coax the sunshine into your office, then all the better. If not, there are lighting solutions such as Full Spectrum Lights that can replace unnatural lights in the office. They simulate natural light more closely than other lights, which can have a real effect on the general mood in the office.
Bring in break out areas
When the workload is heavy and deadlines are looming, many employees will feel chained to their desks without any hope of respite, even during their lunch hour.
Simply disengaging two or three times a day – even briefly – can help recharge the batteries. Any business that invests in providing the facilities to help the process along will be an attractive prospect not just to existing staff, but other hopeful employees too.
Lunchrooms are the perfect place to add a few homely touches, as employees will gather here to chat, catch up and even have informal meetings. It may also encourage more desk-bound workers to take a break for lunch, which is important for well-being and relieving stress.
Create comfortable meeting areas
As well as break out areas, creating fresh, warm atmosphere in meeting rooms can help spark creativity. If you’re looking for an alternative to a meeting room, a whiteboard area is an excellent resource to get the teams’ creative minds working as one. Painting a wall in a meeting room (or wherever you choose to have your idea sessions) with specialist whiteboard paint gets everyone involved and forms a more creative workspace. Employees will be able to see the ideas that have already been discussed and form new ideas off the back of this.
By using whiteboard pens, you’ll be able to simply wipe the wall down and start the whole process again when needed. The same thing can be done with colourful post-it notes if you’re unable to paint a wall.
Bring the outside in
If you’re looking to inject some life into your office while increasing productivity, plant life may be the way to go. A study by the University of Exeter in 2013 found that office plants helped boost employee productivity and well-being by 47%. On top of this, research by Texas University also found that plants can increase creative ideas by 15%.
What you’re able to add to your office is a matter of space and budget, but a visibly large delegation of plant landscaping in the office could raise everyone’s spirits.
Equip staff for success
It’s important to equip staff with right tools so they can do their job effectively. Providing a comfortable chair should be on high importance, given the amount of time spent sitting on one. The same applies to desks and computers right down to smaller essentials like pens and staplers.
Having a wide range of storage can add to both the look of your office and the running of it. Badly organised documents can mean precious time and resources are wasted searching for the information or file you need. Whether you choose traditional filing cabinets, stackable box files or a modern filing system, it’s essential that anyone on your team can access what they need fast.
Add personal inspiration
Letting people customise their workspace a little, gives them the chance to put their own stamp on it. Books, small plants and little knick-knacks from home are some small ways to bring inspiration and brighten up the office space.
For the office as a whole, adding a few creative touches like chalk walls, break out areas with beanbags and subdued lighting to section off particular spaces can all really add to the atmosphere. Also, don’t be afraid of colour. The right combination of tones can promote a more productive ambiance.
