As more companies return to work, some managers are looking for new ways to make office culture more inviting and productive. If you’re among those that want to add an element of “new” to your office, you’re in the right place! Our team has spent ample time over the last few months aggregating what workers and experts feel are the best office layout ideas and overall workplace innovations that can boost productivity and happiness. In this post, we’ve filtered all of the information we’ve taken in to present you with seven actionable things you can do that’ll make your return to work special!
1. Maximize Natural Light Exposure
Natural light does so much for people. It wakes them up, warms them, lowers levels of depression and increases activity among many other things. So then, why does your office rely so much on fluorescent lamps to light your workspace? It could be that the design of your building doesn’t allow for natural light. If that’s not the case and there are steps you can take to allow more outside light to flood your office, take those steps. Believe us when we say that your team will appreciate you bringing the outside world into the workplace. For those spaces that can’t get natural light, invest in natural light simulating bulbs as a compromise.
2. Add Some Green
It’s no secret that more quality oxygen in a room can pep people up. A great way to increase and purify your office’s air quality is to introduce plants to your space. Doing so will also make your office look a whole lot more inviting. Be aware that office layout ideas that leverage foliage do come with risks. For example, some people could be allergic to certain plant varietals. Do research on which plants are the least offending. You may also want to poll your team to see if anybody has plant-based allergies you should be aware of.
3. Keep Your Floor Plan Open
It seems as though all office layout ideas inevitably land on the suggestion of adopting open-floored office plans. The unscientific reason why open floor plans are popular is that they rock! The more open your floor is, the less restricted movement feels which can go a long way when it comes to employee comfort. Open floor plans also invite conversations that increase productivity. A low hanging fruit when it comes to taking steps towards an open floor plan is to tear down your office’s cubicles. From there, you can make more substantive changes like bringing down permanent walls.
4. Ditch Private Offices
If you’re pushing towards an open floor plan, don’t forget to address private offices. Having a private office has long been a right of passage for “high-up” professionals. The issue with them is that they create hierarchical separation and tend to hoard windows. We recommend that you put tearing those spaces down on your list of office layout ideas to create a culture of equality in your workplace and to give everyone access to any resources offices may be monopolizing. While this idea may incur push back from senior team members, remember that your team as a whole is more important than anyone member.
5. Invite Movement
Who says that somebody needs to sit at the same desk every day to be productive? That idea is something that has been ingrained in us since grade school and is quickly changing as office layout ideas become more progressive.
Today, “hot desking” is the new norm which allows people to sit at any desk or no desk at all while working. This allowance for movement and switching up scenery can have a tremendous positive impact on creativity.
6. Make Your Break Room Inviting
We’ve all seen the layout of the classic break room. It’s usually a white-walled room with a sink, a water cooler, and a few abandoned, uncomfortable chairs. While we get that employers have long feared that a comfortable break room could mean people taking long breaks, believe us when we say that those fears are generally unfounded and that an inviting break room can have positive impacts on morale and creativity. To that end, consider adding comfortable seating to your break room and encouraging people to take mental hiatus’ during the day. Taking a few moments to clear one’s head will prevent team burnout which all too often gives way to taking sick leave or switching jobs.
7. Invest in Quiet Places
As your office begins to open up and become more social on the heels of new office layout ideas, where will people that need quiet go? You need to have a good answer to that question, otherwise, you could have a lot of unhappy people on your team. A solution to your need for quiet could be creating a library-like room that’s a “no-talking zone”. You could also invest in private, phone-booth-like pods that are soundproofed and perfect for people that need to make private calls.
Any One of Our Office Layout Ideas Could Transform Your Corporate Culture
Integrating the right office layout ideas into your workplace can have a tremendous impact on your company culture. That could boost sales, reduce turnover, and increase the pool of quality applicants your organization has access to. All of that to say that you should never underestimate the power of investing in your office space. We hope our suggestions have given you helpful guidance on what changes might best serve your needs. If you’d like more office organizing tips, consider browsing more of the newest content on our blog.
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