Thinking of an office redesign, well this post is here to help. Redesigning your office can provide numerous benefits and be great for client experience, the morale of those that work there and also add value to your office. So, what do you need to look out for?
- Ergonomics
It is not even necessary to cite science on this issue, but we are going to, since it simply makes sense. You cannot be productive if your back is killing you due to a desk chair or computer screen that’s improperly adjusted.
Take 5 minutes to make the right adjustments. Specifically, try focusing on the heights of your desk, desk chair, and computer monitor so that the thighs are parallel to the floor while the upper arms should be perpendicular to the floor. Ensure that your wrists are almost straight. You should make sure that everything is within reach so that you never have to strain any of the muscles.
If you trust us now, your body will thank your later.
- Get Rid of Clutter
Keeping your desk clutter-free will help to increase organization and productivity. It can be hard as a manager to enforce a “clean desk” policy, but it is possible to encourage your employees to scan documents so that desks stays paperless.
If you are an employee, it is important to keep your personal space neat and tidy, including the folders in your computer. You can save more time if you develop a system and stick to it as opposed to scrolling through endless documents in an attempt to find the one you require.
Some of the easy tips to get you started are: appropriately labeling an even of project, sticking to a particular pattern for naming file names, and deleting documents that are not required anymore or putting them in a single “Old Projects folder.”
Pro Tip: If you plant to go paperless, ensure that you back up your files.
- Using Appropriate Color Schemes
Color has been proven to affect productivity at work for a long time. Angela Wright, a world-renowned color psychologist developed The Color Affects System that determined that even though individuals might have particular color preferences, the effects of color affect people universally.
Wright’s theory states that yellow inspires creativity, blue stimulates the mind, green creates a calming balance, while red affects the body. However, choosing color is not enough. Saturation and intensity of the color are more important than the actual color. Bright and highly saturated colors tend to stimulate while the softer, muted colors tend to soothe.
If you are unable to change the color of the entire workspace, opt for accents so that different teams are surrounded by colors that are best suited to their type of work.
- Getting One with Nature
If you are unable to alter the color scheme of the workspace and lack control over the lighting, adding a small potted plant to the desk décor can be a quick and easy way to maximize your productivity at work.
Two studies, one from 2011 and the other one from 2013 revealed that having a potted plant in the workspace can increase productivity and cognitive attention and filter the air to get rid of bacteria and mold, thus keeping employees healthy, productive, and happy. Water also helps and that’s why a lot of top end offices have wall water fountains for indoors in their spaces.
- Lighting It Up
Allowing in a lot of natural light can boost productivity, creativity, and energy, according to a study that showed natural light actually improved test results and led to customers spending more time in stores.
It is not realistic to assume that each office can create additional spots for skylights and windows, but it is possible to work with the light already available by ensuring that as many desks as possible are within view of a window. It also helps to ensure that all skylights and windows are regularly cleaned for maximum intake of light.
If natural light is not an option, you should consider opting for indirect light, which is light that bounces off a wall or ceiling since it is more calming and soothing compared to light that shines directly on the employees.
- Drop the Open Plan
Dropping the open plan goes against everything you might have heard concerning open plans being great for improving productivity and collaborative effort. However, a recent study by the Richard de Dear and Jungsoo Kim from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Architecture, workers that were lumped together in an open floor plan are usually less satisfied with the working environment, citing the limited/lack of privacy as the reason.
If you require proof, simply walk through offices with an open plan and count the pairs of headphones. Employees hardly cooperate since it can be intimidating to talk to a fellow employee when everyone in the office can listen in to your conversation.