Office Environment: 6 Tips to Make it Productive

Creating a stylish office environment is one challenge, but turning that space into a productive office environment can be even more difficult.

You don’t just need to consider style and function, but you need to consider your employees and how they will feel spending a large amount of their day in the same office – will they feel energised and engaged, or tired and unhappy? This can make a difference to your success as an organisation. Read on if you’re looking to support your employees and increase productivity in your office environment:

• Allow employees to manage natural light

Natural light, coming through doors and windows, is an important tool in helping employees to avoid the feeling of being trapped or cut off from the world. Desks that face outside can help employees feel energised and content, but if your building doesn’t allow windows or natural light, images of nature, perspective and open spaces on walls make look the office environment bigger and airy with fewer barriers.

• Make the office environment conducive to fun

If employees are engaged with their workplace, having fun while they work, and achieving their goals, they become more invested in the organisation and with the rest of their team. Games rooms, space for leisure activities and even fun wall designs can help you achieve this. If you’re stuck for ideas, ask your employees what would help them and listen to what they want or look at our case studies here:

• Provide enough space for resting, meeting, and working

Employees are human beings and during their working hours, they need to take plenty of rest and communicate with colleagues in order to be productive. Breakout spaces are a good idea and provide important space away from desks and main office environments, and can be used for rest, meetings, or work in an alternative environment that refreshes the mind. Paul Kelly, head of marketing for office interior design from Morgan Lovell, agrees: “Create non-bookable, break-out spaces for those informal chats or just a change of scenery. These spaces take down barriers to communication and encourage spontaneity in the office.”

• Encourage positive working – strike the balance between teamwork and individuality

Many organizations rely on their workforce to fulfil individual roles, but at the same time work collaboratively and share ideas in order for each employee to achieve their own objectives. Each employee deserves a personal office environment for working that they can call their own, and that doesn’t prevent communication or access to colleagues.

• Provide efficient and supportive technology

Reduce the stress of your employees by making sure they have the equipment required to do their job, from computers and technical equipment to stationary and office seating. Ergonomic office furniture is and is the only way to secure the comfort and happiness of your employees with their seating and desk arrangements, and is an important factor in health and wellbeing. Read more here about ergonomics and human factors here on Wikipedia, or read more practical advice about creating an ergonomic office here.

• Reflecting your brand identity

Walls are a great starting point; we can’t use them for standing or sitting so we can rely on them for decoration and design in the office environment. Adding wall graphics to a large wall, from inspirational images to company logos, is a great starting point for adding colour and depth into the office while increasing the brand recognition across your workforce, and glass graphics will bring a modern and glossy look to the room, so you aren’t ignoring the style element of office design.

Environmental graphics are a great alternative for eco-conscious organisations. Bespoke vinyl prints for walls can stretch the imagination and look more than a simple logo on a wall, while bespoke whiteboards and feature glass can be easily installed and encourage communication and collaboration.

Individuality is key…

Whatever your office ideas are, consider these helpful tips to make a productive office environment a priority. We understand that each organisation and each office space is alternative and should be treat with different rules, which is why we’re here. Get in touch if you’d like our support in making your office ideas a productive reality!