Layout to Output: Office Design to Boost Employee Productivity

by | Mar 31, 2023 | Home Improvement | 0 comments

a photo of an office

Photo by Marc Mueller

The workplace directly (though relatively unnoticeable) impacts employee productivity. Although surprising, its design can influence employees’ efficiency, regulating distractions and unproductive habits.

Employee productivity is crucial to company success. It primarily contributes to profit and accomplishments, making or breaking the company. What use are high-quality products and services if the employees can’t sell or execute these properly? Employers implement various activities or reward systems to boost employees’ output per input rate. They may even purchase tools or invest in techniques that can increase work efficiency, like automation technologies to shorten processes or concentration training for workers.

However, while these initiatives may improve employees’ work ethics and increase outputs, these may not be sustainable. It won’t be beneficial for employers to invest in these external strategies constantly. Instead, they must employ changes to cultivate lasting and feasible behavioral effects.

Increasing Employee Productivity

There’s no way to pinpoint one accurate strategy for boosting productivity that works well in every company. While automation may work in one, it won’t necessarily impact processes in another. Not to mention, people are driven by different motivations. If one company improved morale and productivity through rewards, it can’t be concluded that all companies can work with this policy. There’s no perfect way of knowing what makes a crowd more efficient.

However, recent studies have shown that workplace layout impacts employee productivity. Employees’ motivation isn’t solely a personal matter affected by intrinsic factors. Just as household layouts impede chores if people were to get cramped, office designs affect how much work gets done and where the process takes the most time. It may also influence employees’ morale and ethics. Between cramped workspaces limiting creative flow and freedom to ergonomics increasing distractions, work engagement depends more on the office layout than how the public perceives it.

Changing Office Layout for Increased Efficiency

There are numerous nuances to consider regarding office layouts and increasing employee productivity. Hence, it’s only essential to thoroughly plan and develop the office space to cater to their employees’ needs. From morale, business advancement, and quality of work, a properly designed office layout contributes a lot toward company success.

It’s time for corporates to examine if their offices are primed to maximize employee productivity. If spaces need improvement, it may be high time for drywall and plaster repair, renovation, or re-arrangement.

Here are some ways how:

Increase Natural Light

Some workspaces look and feel cramped because of the need for natural lighting. They’re reliant on electricity and substitute light sources. However, this lack of sunlight and the primary usage of alternative lighting can immensely influence employees’ morale. Employers can compare this situation to prisons, where individuals suffer from cramped and dimly lit spaces that lack life.

Natural lighting is essential for people’s well-being. A constant and healthy amount of exposure to it positively affects their physical and mental health. Additionally, natural lighting can keep employees more alert and awake than other sources. Companies can redesign their office layout by placing desks near windows and opening them to allow more light in. Instead of always using electricity, employers can also decrease costs by turning these off and letting sunlight in more.

Color Theory

Color isn’t just crucial for a company’s branding and products. It can also influence people’s moods, especially in an environment with numerous stimulants and stressors. Employers can tap into the color theory to identify which colors work well in stimulating and regulating employees’ moods.

For instance, a color like yellow has been found to incite happiness and joy, which may also help improve employee productivity. On the other hand, blue or green can create a more comfortable and productive environment, while red can increase alertness. Incorporating these colors into the workplace can help stimulate and regulate employees’ moods in different departments.

Add Touches of Nature

Like the benefits of allowing more natural lighting in the office, nature will also improve employees’ well-being. Humans are intrinsically exposed to nature until civilization and technology force them to spend more time disconnected. This gap between people and nature has been shown to harm and impair well-being and employee productivity.

Additionally, indoor plants can make a massive difference in the workplace’s air quality, thus improving people’s health. Placing more plants in the office can also lift people’s moods and enhance aesthetic appeal.

Variety in Office Layout

People have different needs and demands. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another. While some employees will be productive in private settings, others can thrive in the presence of others. This variety can ensure everyone’s needs have been considered during the layout planning. The office should be able to provide areas where everyone can be comfortable regardless of their personality.

Employers should primarily ask, “What do I want from the office layout?” The answers they can come up with from this question can determine how they’ll plan and design the office. Companies need individuality, but this doesn’t mean they can completely ignore their employees’ needs.

While there are no one-size-fits for improving employee productivity, it’s a no-brainer that an excellently planned office layout does wonders for workflow and people’s morale.

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