Top Tips for Designing a Productive Office

Productivity at the workplace is not something just employees are told to do. It’s a valuable asset that can be incorporated into the design itself. You may have heard of designing workplaces as open places or as cubicles. However, what businesses ultimately want is a workplace where employees are efficient as possible by design. Here are several useful designing tips that will help you create that productive workplace:

Lighten Up the Workplace

Humans are wired to respond to light. We are more alert under bright lights, even artificial ones. (That’s why bright, white light bulbs keep up awake at night). Don’t expect employees to be productive in a dingy workplace. Make sure there are large windows that allow in plenty of sunlight during daytime. Install long-lasting LED bulbs to keep everything well illuminated during the evening hours (if you keep them). Pay attention to window positions and light fixtures from early on in the design process to create a well-lit workplace. 

Offer Flexibility

The most productive workplaces are often flexible. It means that the physical environment is easy to adjust or move about as needed. In addition, flexibility refers to employees’ ability to set their schedules and work hours. The virtual workplace offers the best flexibility. Consider looking up agile virtual offices that allow businesses to maintain a professional address but without the added cost of rent. Such workplaces allow employees to work from anywhere, but there would be a physical location for meeting clients for example. 

Aim for Minimal Noise

Noise is one of the biggest enemies of productivity. Employees are easily distracted in noisy workplaces, regardless of whether the noise comes from the inside or the outside. Therefore, if your workplace has noisy equipment, make sure to keep those away from employees who need to focus. Place the customer service section separate from where other employees work to keep the noise level down. Additionally, when renting a professional space, make sure that there’s minimal environmental noise as possible. Soundproofing the workplace to keep up annoying street sounds would be a good idea if you can afford it. 

Ditch the Open Workplace Plans

Open offices were once all the rage. Companies adopted this design en masse believing it to offer superior concepts that boosted productivity. In fact, open workplaces promote the opposite. Research has shown that the work environment these create cause workers to be less efficient and more anxious. Therefore, instead of this dated concept, aimed for a novel one with a high rating of office Space Company in Toronto. Giving employees more privacy but convenient ways to communicate is much better for productivity. 

Allow Easy Access 

The equipment employees frequently use, such as the copier, should be easy to access to anyone who needs it. Likewise, ensure that there are clear pathways to get to frequently used equipment or places quickly. Keep things clustered together without overcrowding a space to enable access without creating traffic. 

Improving productivity at the workplace is a multifaceted process, but the right design plays and important role. Use the above suggestions to create the ultimate efficient workplace where employees can be as productive as possible.