The impact of office design on business performance

A good office design will not only engage and motivate your employees, but it will also directly impact your business performance. Making a few small changes within the workplace could go a long way.

In this blog we will examine the relationship between office design and productivity as well as recommend a few things you can do to help get the most for your business and your employees.

Assessing your business performance

Having a well thought out office design will help employee morale, culture and also productivity. Whether you are considering an office move, complete refurbishment or are looking to make a few minimal changes to help business performance, office design plays a huge part.

Business performance is at the heart of any organisation’s objectives. Companies today carry out a number of studies, tests and investigations to find out what ultimately influences their business performance and staff motivation. The results of these investigations will help them decide which of their resources are to be focused on to continue driving success and which to limit.

Studies have proven there to be a direct link between workspace design and employee morale, wellbeing and productivity. See our blog about wellbeing within the workplace to see how your office design could help your staff. Factors including architectural design, lighting, temperature, use of space and even furniture all have impact upon how your staff are working, and therefore the performance of your business:

Furniture

Research shows that if your employees are comfortable when working in the office they are more likely to work more efficiently and productively. This is down in large part to ergonomics. Providing optimum conditions for your staff within the workplace not only improves overall wellbeing by minimising any potential associated health risks and fatigue, but allows them to carry out everyday activities at ease.

Poor working conditions – i.e. due to improper chairs, lighting etc. – can affect the health of your valuable staff. Backs, wrists, hands and eyes can all be affected which in the long-term could incur detrimental costs and increased absence. Take a look at our blog about ergonomics within the workplace to find out what you can do to ensure your staff are equipped with proper working conditions.

Your working environment

In recent years there has been an increased focus upon the quality, health and environmental efficiency of the workspace. Take a look at our blog about governmental energy changes in workplace design to find out more about CSR best practices within the workplace.

The following suggestions are designed to improve the quality of your workplace, which will create a productive space for your workers:

• Lighting – incorporate as much natural light as possible. Artificial light and the harsh glare from a computer screen are culprits of worker fatigue, headaches and stress. Our blog about lighting within the workplace will provide you with more advice on this topic.

• Acoustics – Our blog about whether there is a right level of noise within the workplace looks at the effects of noise and discusses how office design with better acoustics could benefit your staff. It is also recommended to incorporate silent breakaway areas within office design to allow your employees who need that quiet time to work alone and solely focus on that difficult task at hand.

• Air – Your employees’ health is paramount to the success of your business. Appropriate air conditioning, ventilation and heating systems must be fitted accordingly into workplace design. Not only will your employees’ health improve, reducing the amount of absence, but installing correct energy-saving systems could also help save money.

The layout

As mentioned, a good office plan is necessary to ensure that however you decide to design your workplace the needs and requirements of your business objectives and staff are met. At Workspace Design & Build our team of specialised experts are on hand to offer you the best advice before carrying out a successful office fit-out. We take the time to understand your specific l requirements for the office space and apply this knowledge when designing your final product.

For example, some workspaces are designed to be collaborative. Collaborative workspaces can improve overall productivity by allowing employees to communicate with one another more easily. Take a look at our blog about collaborative workspaces to find out more and what you can do to improve communication in your design today.

An effective office design allows for better productivity by saving money and time by the efforts of an organisation’s employees.

And you?

Do you think that there is a relationship between office design and business performance? Do get in touch by leaving a comment below or via our Facebook and Twitter pages.