Office Design: Can it Help Promoting Productivity and Motivation?
Let's face it: commuting might be one of our most hated things to do. Waking up super early in the morning, getting a quick shower, preparing a breakfast or sometimes even eating it on the way to work, catching the immensely crowded bus/subway/train and praying for a seat, and then finally arriving at our workplaces. It is undoubtedly an exhausting and stressing experience most of the times - which translates into lack of motivation to go to work, affecting productivity and even more so the quality of our individual traits.
This week we've challenged ourselves to dive into office design and how it can help with this issue, therefore promoting a more motivated staff that is a little bit more willing to go to work and be more successful.
How to get the most out of your office?
It would be wrong to think that every office needs to be like an 80-floor skyscraper in Manhattan. Not every company has the possibility of having those headquarters, but don't let this convince you that it is impossible to have a world class workplace without having millions and millions of budget.
As we can see, from a few square feet to complex infrastructures, the dynamic that these architects and designers provide to these environments is nothing short of amazing. The optimization of space is almost perfect, there is enough room to accommodate every staff member with comfortable desks and chairs. There are places to relax and promote communication and interaction between employees, vastly helping the development of chemistry around the team. The decoration that is used in these workplaces is very simple as you can see; however, it involves a slick design with pastel colors mixed with dark wood for the desks and a subtle use or green with the help of natural plants. Glass is also a very big part of these designs, solely because it helps bring out natural light and gives a bigger perception of space. All of this culminates into a harmonious environment that is felt by the staff. A place that attracts you visually is a place where you feel well.
The relationship between design and productivity is what's most interesting. Leesman, a statistics company from the UK, has created a new metric to calculate productivity, which was previously calculated by the output throughout a period of time. This new “perceived productivity” has brought a completely new dimension to the table, which is the impact of workplace design: “There are numerous factors that influence an individual's ability to be productive, of course, but Leesman data reveals that the physical workplace itself plays a key part in an employee's sense of productivity, pride, and overall enjoyment of their work life. (source: www.facilityexecutive.com)” The study concludes that, off the 250,000 employees surveyed in the report, just 57% agree that their workplace enables them to work productively. Companies who neglect the impact of their headquarters' are missing out on many of the components that contribute for their employee's satisfaction and therefore reducing their performance.
We believe that brands are made of their employees, and that a happy team is a team who will succeed. Even though renovating offices is a trending practice, we can't stress enough how important it is.