As an employer, you strive to achieve maximum productivity from your employees without burning them out. One way to promote this is to develop a more engaging workplace. A focus on the workplace and on employee well-being may lead to improved productivity, an increase in morale, and overall staff retention.
Although there’ s no clear cut model for an ideal office, you can follow guidelines that help shape an environment that inspires people to work.
General Office Design Guidelines
Office designs, in general, should represent the company brand and its core values, but is should also benefit its employees. Your basic office plan checklist should then consider the following:
- Employee-specific workspaces
- Ventilation and proper lighting
- Flexibility
- Functionality
- Spaces for privacy
Employees should get equal sizes of work spaces; have equal access to proper lighting, and ventilation for optimal production and work efficiency.
Flexibility and functionality fall under versatility of the work place. Employees look for flexible work spaces that allow for free movement and social collaboration, as well as areas for concentration. Spaces for privacy, on the other hand, allow employees a room to take a private phone call, a place to think, or simply for to relax. For employees who work better in a serene, quiet environment, private spaces are crucial to productivity.
A focus on employee well-being gave rise to contemporary workspaces dedicated to physical improvement. Some companies provide wellness perks; Intel offices often feature volleyball courts while AOL offices have nap rooms with sleep pods. As employees prefer a work-life balance, having work spaces that gave importance to physical importance and wellness increased employee satisfaction.
Spaces for Well-being
A study on Employee Wellness as a Predictor of Productivity revealed that wellness helps individuals productively contribute to the company. Lifestyle choices, specifically personal wellness, affect an employee’s productivity, and by extension, their satisfaction at work.
To attract and retain employees, increase collaborations and productivity, you should address your employee’s psychological and physical needs in the workplace. According to a trend report by Fellowes Workplace Wellness, employees seek a healthier work environment. The report reveals 87 percent of employees in the US want healthier workspace benefits from their current employers, such as wellness rooms, sit-stand desks, and company fitness benefits.
You can work with local office furniture installers that can transform your space for productivity and wellness. For example, they’ll switch traditional work desks to sit-stand workspaces. You can also change cubicle-type office spaces to open floor planned ones that foster free movement and social interaction among colleagues.
Other ideas include turning unused rooms into private exercise or and yoga spaces. You can also work with wellness brands to get your employees discounts on fitness programs.
Although most businesses offer the swankiest spaces that encourage a work-life balance, your office doesn’t have to spend as much to keep and retain top talents. The key is to offer health and wellness programs that are relevant to your workers.
Environmental psychology states that an optimal environment engages an employee better. What your employees see and where they perform their tasks affect the quality of their output. So rethink your office space today, and inspire productivity in your employees for years to come.
