No matter what role you play at the office, you are affected by the environment. Unless you are a CEO or an office manager, you may not have much say in what changes or arrangements are put in place.
If you do play either of those roles or are, for whatever reason, put in charge of redesigning your office, it is important to take into account both the comfort of your employees as well as the overall appearance and vibe of the office you create. Subtle elements of both appearance and general comfort can greatly shape the quality and quantity of work you get out of your employees. Having an efficient and effective office design is vital for operations to run smoothly and to keep internal morale high.
When the daunting task of creating the environment is placed in your hands, you should take everything one step at a time and carefully assess how each decision will impact the environment and the employees who will occupy it for a majority of the week.
Understanding the importance of keeping your employees comfortable and happy
Although redesigning a workspace can resemble putting a new face on a business, often the only people that spend time in the workplace are the regular employees. This means that your office design is really for them and should consider their well-being as the top priority. To do this, put yourself in their shoes as you think about how to set up their area. What might it feel like to work in that position for forty hours per week?
Regardless of what appearance you end up going for, remember that comfort is the key to a successful office design.
Employees will be able to work more efficiently, achieving much more in the same time if they are comfortable while they work. A company’s overall efficiency is determined by the output of the employee base, which means that employee comfort and satisfaction directly correlates to company-wide outcomes.
With more and more products available on the market to aid employee health, safety, and comfort, it is becoming easier to satisfy a broad employee base with only a few simple purchases. Particularly if multiple people are using the same desks or chairs, consider incorporating adjustable ergonomic furniture into your office design. Ergonomic furniture is designed to reduce fatigue and chronic health risks by allowing for proper posture, regardless of your body’s shape and size. As an employer, this means happy, comfortable, healthy, and productive employees. Don’t forget about the bathroom when designing your office. Take into account the ideal toilet partition height and other factors that can greatly influence the overall comfort of your office.
Managing the functionality and appearance of your office design
Once you have your employees satisfied with your new design, you need to make sure that the environment has an appropriate look, and that it is fully functional for your needs. As mentioned above, many offices are rarely seen by anyone but employees. If you work for a software company, for example, the appearance of your office will not be on your client’s radar. However, it is possible that partner companies or those interesting in purchasing your company will want to meet in your office. For this reason, it is always important to have an appropriately professional appearance that matches your industry. Looking good will also draw in new hires and get them excited about working for you.
Many offices do not have very complex functionality. Most offices in this day and age need little more than a few desks, chairs, and computers to be fully up and running. However, if you are working on a design for a dental office, you must have the proper equipment and make sure that you meet certain health code standards and requirements. Dental, medical, and other offices that see high customer traffic also have to cater their appearance for their customers, unlike the example of a software company.
Takeaway
Designing an office and implementing that design is a complex, multi-faceted project that you will not be able to take on by yourself. Unless it is a home office that consists of a single desk, there will be too many factors to consider and too many components to put in place for a single individual. That is why services such as Key Interiors work with companies at every step of their office design, from consultation and advice to implementation and installation.