The way you design your office space plays an important role in the potential productivity of your team. With 40 plus hours spent in the office each week, how you choose to organise and design the office impacts not just aesthetic appeal but also employee comfort and productivity.
A poorly designed office can lead to “higher stress levels, emotional rifts between departments, corporate resentment, employee bickering, mental health issues, anxiety, and even physical problems such as backaches and reduced eye vision,” according to Jeff Pochepan.
On the flip side, a strategically designed office can encourage collaboration, teamwork, promote feelings of calm, and provide employees with their own space; ultimately boosting productivity. Read on to discover the best office design hacks to keep your employees focused.
Let natural light in
Your office lighting will play a significant role in employees’ productivity, workplace safety and mental health. Specifically, incorporating natural light in your office space is critical to our circadian rhythms. Plus, it gives us a healthy mood boost because we can see the day go by.
Studies have shown that the extent to which daylight exposure has on office workers’ wellbeing is astounding. Daytime office workers who are exposed to quality lighting levels throughout the day can expect improved sleep and even improved quality of life.
To flood your space with natural light, installing windows is the way to go. Your best bet will be windows made from switchable glass. This type of glass allows the office workers to let light in at the flick of a switch while allowing them to switch back to opaque when privacy is required.
Plus, while natural light offers many benefits, it can make the office hotter than you’d prefer. By installing smart glass windows, your office workers can better regulate temperature by dulling down the intensity of the natural light streaming through.
Consider colour psychology for your office renovation
Like natural light, colour choice plays an important role in employee productivity and psychology. Depending on the colours you choose, certain emotions may be evoked:
- Red can be considered overpowering, so more care should be taken when incorporating this colour. This colour is thought to promote mental energy flow. Try using red for your social areas of the office, or for furnishings.
- Orange can promote both happiness and strategic thinking. It’s a great colour for highlighting your office’s key design elements.
- Yellow is aptly considered a happy colour and is a great colour to bring teams together.
- Green evokes nature, growth and balance. It is often used in creative spaces.
- Blue is often considered one of the most productive colours, prompting intellectual thought. However, it also can create a calm, peaceful mood.
- Purple is often associated with royalty and ambition.
- White is often associated with cleanliness, but it can be a tad bland on its own.
- Black evokes authority, and sometimes mysterious and even sinister undertones. That said, it can also evoke a sense of luxe.
Design a professional space for meetings
Your boardroom or meeting room needs to be professional, evoking the sense that your business is established and trustworthy. Select a table with plenty of space for your team’s laptops, papers and tech, to ensure maximum productivity in this space. Ensure your chairs are comfortable and not falling apart.
A sure-fire way for your team to impress clients is replacing the regular glass with switchable glass in the meeting room. With smart glass surrounding your conference room, you give your clients a private meeting space that is void of distractions. Plus, you impress your clients with the flick of a switch!
Get the team moving in the office
Encouraging movement in the office can work wonders for employee productivity. Consider installing stand-to-sit desks to get your team moving. You may also make certain design choices, like positioning the printer away from the desks, to encourage your staff to move a little, instead of staying stagnant at their desk all day long. Another fun idea is to try ‘walking meetings’ when appropriate, instead of always relying on the conference room to share ideas with the team.
Create designated office zones
Another clever way to promote employee productivity and team engagement is to designate various spaces across the office to specific tasks or purposes. Consider creating:
Private zones: where staff members can chug away at essential tasks in guaranteed peace and quiet.
Quiet zones: where the team can think, work or take a power nap without being disturbed.
Fun zones: a designated area where the team can hang out, chat and play games.
Collaboration zones: areas that promote the exchange of ideas and mingling among the team.
There are plenty of helpful design hacks out there to keep your employees focused, engaged and happy. If you love the idea of installing switchable glass into your office to boost productivity, ensure privacy and impress your clients, be sure to enquire about Polytron’s Polyvision switchable glass. Contact our team today if you have any questions about our premium glass range.
