High levels of productivity have always been recognized as a cornerstone of successful companies. However, the precise methods for achieving such efficiency levels have usually been less clear than their importance suggests.
Any productivity-improving technique must be built upon a strong foundation to yield tangible results. So let’s return to basics and establish the groundwork upon which all future efforts will be based.
In this article, we’ll explore how innovative design trends can transform your offices into genuine productivity hubs where your employees can thrive.
Leverage open floor design
High levels of productivity can’t be achieved without high levels of collaboration. Do your best to turn your offices into an environment that will encourage this form of teamwork.
The best way to do it is to tear down the artificial boundaries and turn your office space into an open floor area where your workers will be able to transition from hub to hub as they see fit, engage in collaboration and brainstorming with their colleagues, and have the freedom to work at their own pace.
Of course, you also need to provide distraction-free spaces when people need to focus on individual tasks.
Make the environment nourishing
Resources like fresh air and natural light have a tremendous impact on the workers’ ability to perform efficiently. In the latter case, we can refer to a recent survey outlining that 47% of employees feel that the lack of natural light makes them feel tired and burned out.
It’s easy to see how removing these obstacles can make your office space more motivating and nourishing. Start by expanding the window space, taking care of the light cycles, introducing indoor plants, and populating the area with comfortable amenities. Using soft colors and organic materials can only help your cause.
Take care of the acoustics
In this regard, a one-size-fits-all philosophy won’t cut it. Areas meant for collaboration should have good acoustics and allow people to communicate effectively. Productivity hubs should be completely noise-free, while shared spaces should present the middle ground between these two extremes.
This is a great opportunity to expand your toolbox with resources like the Grasshopper parametric design platform that allows you to run acoustic simulations and see how your upgrades will behave in real life. This way you will get better results while avoiding expensive trial-and-error misfires.
Raise the ceilings
This trend is slowly crawling its way back into the mainstream design circles. Expanding the overhead space may prove to be a detriment in terms of heating and sustainability, but research suggests that putting people in a high-ceiling environment can improve their ability to process information in a more creative, abstract manner.
Performing this upgrade will also allow you to use more vertical storage space, clear up the floors, and reduce clutter, which, in itself, also gives you a great productivity boost. As long as the building layout allows you, this move looks like a sure hit.
Introduce the areas of respite
In the previous sections, we’ve mentioned that your office space needs to be nourishing. However, if you truly want to boost workplace productivity, you should provide your employees with areas and resources they can use for a more active respite.
You can achieve that with comfortable lounges, fitness hubs, isolated meditation, and yoga spaces, wellness rooms, or even transitional outdoor-indoor areas. What you should keep in mind is that these respite areas should make the functional part of the wider office space, so try to keep them in the shuffle from the earliest design stages.
Pay attention to physical engagement and ergonomics
Bean bags may be trendy, and they can make you look hip, but they are hardly the best furniture option you can offer to your employees. So, avoid these eye-candy pieces and instead populate the office with furniture that will provide optimal ergonomics, back support, and comfort.
Also, be sure to arrange the furniture and storage areas in a manner that will encourage taking short breaks and engaging in some sort of physical activity. Optional standing workstations are one of the ways to do it.
So, there you have it – six simple design tips and strategies that will help you make the most of the office space you have at your disposal and allow your workers to perform their tasks at 100% capacity. High levels of productivity can be found in various, sometimes unexpected spaces.
However, any efforts you make in terms of improving workers’ productivity will fall flat if they occur in an environment that is not nourishing and beneficial. Try to move this issue off the table before doing anything else, and your subsequent actions will be much more effective.
⸻ Author Bio ⸻ ⸻
Brigitte Evans is a lifestyle blogger with a passion for design, culture, and health. She is a regular writer and contributor to numerous lifestyle blogs and online magazines. She also loves to travel and enjoy the great outdoors.
