When designing a new office or
refurbishing an old office, many employers don't take account of how
good office design can greatly increase the productivity of their
workforce. If you make sure that you incorporate some of the
following ideas into your office design, you can help ensure that you
get the most out of your employees.
1. Incorporate A Quiet Zone
Studies have shown
that a total of 95.3% of workers feel that having access to a quiet
area where they can get on with their work, however 41% of this group
don't have access to anywhere they can go. This is why many office
design companies have started to incorporate breakout zones into new
office designs which can allow people to get away from their desk or
standard work environment and get on with work in a different
environment.
Additionally, it's
worth taking measures to reduce noise where there are outside sources
which are making it difficult for your employees to get on with their
work. According to office design experts CBS
Office Interiors the right acoustics can improve office
productivity by up to 15%. This is why it is important to incorporate
materials which can absorb noise.
2. Avoid Open Planned Offices
Many thought that
making their offices open plan would increase overall productivity,
but a number of studies have no shown that open plan offices actually
hinder productivity. With noise and other colleagues often making it
more difficult for one to get on with their own work. If you look
around many open plan offices you will find people plugged into
headphones, to avoid being distracted from other colleagues.
3. Make the Office Comfortable
This should be the
most obvious tip on the list, but making sure your employees is
comfortable can massively boost their overall productivity and help
decrease absenteeism. Ensuring that office furniture is ergonomic and
comfortable, has been linked with greater productivity levels and
reduced amounts of absenteeism. It's also worth spending time making
sure that your office is kept at the right temperature, as this has
been shown to increase workers productivity significantly. Studies
have found that office workers become less productive when
temperatures
either rise above 25 degrees or fall below 16 degrees Celsius.
