Designing Your Office for Maximum Productivity
Being a business owner means you have a lot of different things to think about. From staff training to sales, productivity and profit, the scale can really vary. Productivity is something that can impact different areas of the business, so can be a good place to start. But when you think of productivity, are you just thinking of looking for different tools like automation that can save time, or concentration strategies for your team? While those things can be all well and good, a lot has to be said of looking into your office design, to see if it really is set up to have an impact on productivity or not. Lots of people look into office design in terms of productivity, and it can make a big difference.
But more recently, research has shown that office design has a huge impact on how much gets done. Of course, there are basic things that you will need to have in place, and experts to help you to put things in place, like commercial plumbing and electronics. But there are some really key things that can make such a difference to help productivity levels. So with all of that in mind, here are some of the tips for how you can design your office for maximum productivity. It is going to help your business and your employees is so many ways.
Improve the lighting
If you can’t see well, then you won’t be able to work well, will you? Poor lighting can cause problems to health, from things like eye strain, headaches, stress, fatigue, and even a whole host of other health problems, as well as problems with mental health. Therefore, one of the simplest things that you can do to help to boost productivity is to improve the lighting in the office. Where possible, look for ways to have as much natural light in the office as possible. If you are designing your office from scratch, then this can be a great thing to really implement. If you have to work with that you’ve got, then try to place desk areas as close to windows and other sources as natural light, as much as possible.
Control the noise level
Noise is something that can be really difficult to control, but when it is dealt with well, then it can help productivity in a really good way. Too much noise is something that is a common office complaint. And if you don’t want to staff that have to deal with more illness, stress, and low morale, then doing something about it can make a big difference. Something like sound masking can be a way to get rid of unwanted sounds, as it is designed to cover up things. If you can’t take steps to install a full-on sound masking system, then using something like noise-cancelling headphones can be a good idea for team members that really need to have silence in order to work well.
Start thinking of Variety
It turns out that having an open office isn’t something that is all it is cracked up to be. In reality, there have been some research into open offices that have shown lower employee satisfaction and low productivity. In fact, it can also lead to higher levels of stress and tiredness. Basically, in other words, this kind of space can be bad all round. So in order to combat this, it can be a good idea to look at making a shift toward variety in the design of your workplace, rather than just keeping a general open office space. For example, having some personal spaces for your employees where they are able to customize them to be just as they want them, can make a big difference. Having a space to be quiet and to think can make a big difference too.
Raise the ceilings
If you are going to design an office from scratch, or if you are ready to renovate, then something to plan into it all, or have it into your plans, would be raising the ceiling height. There have been studies that have found that people do prefer ceilings that are around ten feet high. High ceilings have been associated with thinking more freely, so it can be a helpful way to inspire creativity. So do you think that something that allows more creative thinking can benefit your business? If that is the case with you, then why not give it a try and raise the roof, so to speak?