Management

Redesigning your Office Space to Increase Staff Morale

Office design can have a direct impact on staff morale which, in turn, will significantly increase productivity. By ensuring your working environment is attractive and well-maintained, your team will be a much happier, more motivated workforce, creating a positive company culture. Additionally, a well-designed office will create a professional impression with visiting guests and clients, making it doubly as important to get the design right.

So what should you consider when redesigning your office? Apart from referring to the HSE office health and safety information whether you are updating your existing office space, or moving into a new one and undertaking a refurbishment before the move, here are five of the most important things to think about…

Space

Space is a crucial consideration. Your employees will spend a huge majority of their time in the office and at their desks, meaning planning the space thoughtfully is vital. Depending on the nature of your workplace, your needs regarding the space will differ.

In a design environment, for example, a completely open-plan office may be beneficial to encourage communication and facilitate the exchange of ideas. However, in a call centre environment cubicles may be more effective in order to create distinct, individual environments in which to take calls and not be distracted by your surroundings.

Whichever office layout you opt for, it is important to make sure your environment meets the requirements of your business and the needs of its employees. Cramped, tightly-packed offices can actually demotivate your staff, whilst creating an office which is spacious and features clear working environments, meeting places and informal areas is the easiest way to increase staff morale and enhance productivity.

Lighting

Research has shown that natural lighting can increase your mood, focus and productivity. According to scientific studies, people respond positively to natural light and feel more alert, reporting a greater a sense of general well-being.

Therefore, it is extremely important to allow lots of natural light into your office in order to keep staff happy and motivated. This can be achieved by keeping windows uncovered, allowing the ingress of natural sunlight, and also replacing light bulbs with full-spectrum lights which better imitate the appearance of natural lighting.

Refreshments

The provision of workplace refreshments is crucial for improving staff morale and productivity. Installing vending machines, for example, will instantly provide a wide range of food and drink to your employees, meaning they are never hungry or in need of a drink. Not only does this allow them to focus on their work, it also means they don’t have to leave your workplace to grab a cup of coffee or an afternoon snack.

Lots of businesses choose to install breakout areas, which are fantastic for staff satisfaction. These spaces provide an area in which your employees can relax at break times, socialise with their colleagues or hold small, informal meetings. Effective breakout areas are usually clearly separated from the rest of the office and feature tables, chairs and even sofas. Vending machines offering a range of hot and cold food and drink are also incredibly important and reputable vending machine suppliers offer machine housing and surrounds. This means the vending machines will feature your company branding, colouring and logo – great for both employee morale and the impression bestowed upon visiting clients!

Furniture

Choosing good quality furniture is a vital requirement when trying to improve staff satisfaction. Uncomfortable, poorly built chairs or desks which look like they’re falling apart, can significantly impact your employees’ moods, making them feel undervalued and under-appreciated.

Although the cost of quality, ergonomically designed furniture may initially be steep, the benefits you can expect will definitely be worth it. Good quality, comfortable chairs, for example, will significantly decrease the prevalence of staff with back and neck problems. Not only will this cause your employees to take less time off, it will also increase their positivity which, in turn, will improve productivity.

Equipment

A recent survey found 51% of office workers in the UK experience ‘desk rage’ whilst at work, with one of the most common causes including failing technology, such as the computer crashing or the printer going into meltdown. With this in mind, it is vital to make sure the equipment your staff use is of a good quality. Not only is it incredibly frustrating for your employees, it will significantly damage office productivity as staff spend large amounts of time waiting for equipment to work. If you look at websites such asIdealcleaning.co.ukyou will find that some industrial office cleaning services offer IT equipment cleaning, which could be a key element in reducing so-called “desk rage” as clean equipment is much less likely to malfunction.

You should regularly monitor the performance of your equipment, paying close to attention to machines which breakdown, experience delays or regularly freeze. You must then ensure that old machines are replaced with models which function reliably and efficiently.

If you have any questions, please ask below!