Is Your Office Space Negatively Affecting Your Employees?
According to a recent poll, British offices are the coldest and ugliest in the world – ouch!
A dated office space can inhibit productivity, lower employee morale, and result in higher employee turnover. Indeed, 93% of tech industry workers said they would consider staying at a company for longer if they felt it offered a healthy office environment.
All these factors demonstrate the large role office spaces have on worker morale and staff retention.
At Jade Aden, we specialise in giving offices fresh, modern redesigns. In this post, we look at the importance of offering employees the right office space and discuss how to improve the environment for your staff.
How Work Environment Impacts Productivity
A poorly designed work environment can have a negative effect on productivity. Here are some of the main factors that can affect workers.
Clutter
Clutter has been shown to cause stress, so it makes sense that a cluttered work environment will negatively impact your employees’ ability to work effectively. Clutter can come in many forms, from a messy kitchen area to too many chairs in one place, so make sure your office is clear from any unnecessary furnishings or mess.
Uninspiring Décor
The effect décor has on morale, creativity, and productivity is well known. Office workers will spend approximately 240 days at work per year, meaning they spend an awful lot of time in the office environment. It’s important, therefore, that your office’s décor creates an inspiring and calming atmosphere.
Technology
Wi-fi needs to run smoothly, computers need to be sufficiently modern, and businesses need to be utilising digital solutions to facilitate workers with their jobs. Slow network speeds and dated technology can cause frustration amongst a workforce and impact their ability to get work done.
Space to Work
Having enough space to work comfortably is paramount to staff productivity. Collaborative workspaces, places to hold meetings and enough personal space are all important factors. Employees are their most productive when they have the flexibility to choose the best space to carry out their job, as well as a break room to relax.
How Work Environment Impacts Team Morale
A positive work environment fuels good moods, collaborative thinking, and dynamic workers. It also affects how team members interact with each other. Strong work relationships help improve work quality, efficiency, and staff retention rates.
If staff don’t enjoy the office environment, they’re more likely to work from home or keep to themselves, damaging productivity.
Why You Should Want Employees to Work from the Office
Providing a work environment that employees enjoy encourages them to come in to work instead or working from home.
This has the potential the benefit businesses in several ways:
- Creates a stronger team atmosphere
- Improves efficiency; workers are on hand for quick questions and collaborative thoughts
- Increases worker engagement by creating the feeling of team progress and success
- Solidifies stronger personal relationships, improving morale and productivity
What Makes a Good Office Space?
Here are some factors that can create a positive and productive office space.
Pleasant Lighting and Temperatures
Lighting can have a big impact on mood. LED lights are a good choice, as they are bright enough to keep workers alert in the daytime but can also be dimmed to mimic the changes in natural light.
Allowing in as much natural light as possible will also benefit workers – a recent study has shown that more natural light can help reduce headaches and eyestrain in office workers by up to 84%!
Fluorescent lights should be avoided as they can interfere with sleep patterns and inhibit the production of melatonin, resulting in low mood and morale.
Bright sunlight can also damage productivity in offices, by reducing workers’ ability to see screens and presentations. Versatile blinds can help redirect light without blocking it completely.
Open Plan Layouts
Open plan offices are great for promoting communication. It’s been shown that the more distance between people’s desks, the less likely they are to talk about work.
An open layout also prevents the atmosphere from feeling cramped and claustrophobic, which can be a big contributor to stress.
Relaxing Breakout Areas
Providing a fun and relaxing breakout space for staff is a great way to allow your team to rest and recuperate during breaks at work. Offering a change of scenery and the chance to talk with colleagues in a more relaxed setting helps with motivation, productivity, and team building.
Access to Amenities
Staff need to feel comfortable at work. Access to basic kitchen equipment like a water supply, fridge, and kettle contributes to a happier, healthier workforce.
Modern Colour Schemes and Décor
There’s a lot of psychology involved with choosing the right colour scheme for your office; specific colour combinations can provoke different moods in your staff. Using a professional service to ensure the best colour scheme is the best way to take advantage of this technique to improve office mood and productivity.
Including plants in your office décor has also been shown to have a positive effect on workers, benefitting everything from air quality and productivity to staff retention rate.
Functional Spaces
Providing a range of functional spaces can help staff morale, providing workers with the right environments to carry out their work.
Bright, spacious boardrooms with comfortable seating can make meetings more productive and make a better impression on clients when they visit.
Access to private spaces can also help improve staff productivity, creating quiet zones that can help workers focus and concentrate on specific tasks.
Storage
Well-designed office storage systems help keep offices tidy. Giving employees a set of drawers at their workstation will promote clutter-free desks and help keep the whole office space organised, meaning that staff can find what they want, when they need it.
How to Design a Successful Office Space
The key to a successful office space comes from having a well-planned design, which puts employee morale and productivity at the forefront.
At Jade Aden, we provide professional office fit outs, implementing years of know-how to create dynamic spaces that motivate and inspire staff.
Schedule a call or fill out our contact form for a no-obligation consultation!