News • 20 August 2019
How Office Design Affects Productivity
The design of an office can have a huge impact on productivity and work ethic among staff.
Max Thompson, Systems Engineer, Fabric
A well-designed office leads to high levels of staff motivation, positive vibes and increased levels of productivity. Office design should be a priority for every office-based business out there!
Ergonomic equipment, comfy chairs, standing desks and high-quality keyboards/mice not only look good but also DO good. Research shows that standing desks can help alleviate the health complications brought about by sitting down for too long.
Flexible working allows staff to feel more comfortable at work. It helps to eliminate unnecessary stresses or guilt of changing your shift times and will help to boost morale.
Another thing to consider is the temperature. During a cold winter, there is nothing worse than being sat in a cold office, and vice versa. This is why heaters, fans, or air conditioning units can be well worth the investment. Things like this will enable you to maintain the temperature and keep it at a comfortable level. Last summer, our office was sweltering, making it difficult to concentrate and focus on work. We’ve recently installed an air conditioning unit and it’s drastically improved this.
The visuals on display in an office can have a significant impact on the levels of productivity and staff motivation. What we see can affect our perspective of space. An office which has some colour, plenty of light and a variation in textures can be more inspirational.
Finally, a contemporary method of improving office design is known as zoning. This focuses on the idea of creating flexible working environments; some spaces specifically focused on silent work, some spaces for collaborative work and others to help employees de-stress and unwind. An example of this could be a bean bag area or game room.
Having various rooms not only improves productivity but allows staff members to thrive in a comfortable environment. By choosing to create a zonal office, you are allowing all members of staff to have access to space which works for them; be it a quiet space or a collaborative space.
