Business owners are rightly obsessed with productivity. It’s the factor which separates successful companies from those that fall by the wayside. It’s the key to making great profits and also motivating people. But making it stick can be elusive. From sales incentives to production bonuses, money based solutions are temporary. Looking towards more innate factors like employee satisfaction is the key to making productivity a permanent state of being for your business.
One factor which is often overlooked in the search for enhanced output is the effect that physical surroundings have. Dull, inefficient or
inefficient spaces have a huge impact on the mood and capabilities of you and your staff. This means that office environments have the potential within their walls to essentially unlock a huge amount of extra profit – if you realise the design in the correct way. It’s a fine balance between giving your staff an inspiring environment that makes it easier to do their jobs and also creating a space that has the potential to impress your clients and showcase your company in the best light.
A Change Of Environment
The ways in which we work have changed dramatically over the last few decades, from being fenced off in warrens of narrow offices to today’s way of open plan spaces and hot desking. At the same time our working patterns have changed, with technology and cloud computing blurring the boundaries between our professional and home lives. This doesn’t just mean us bringing work home – it also flows the other way and means that we expect more comfort and accommodation at work too, as the trend for break out spaces, gaming elements and even things like at work gym facilities shows.
The simple fact is that people make the business – and keeping them operating at peak performance will be integral to your ongoing success. The environment around them has the ability to influence their physical and mental health, their sense of belonging to your organisation, their enthusiasm, creativity and energy levels. Reconfiguring your space to increase these factors should be high on your list of priorities in order to maximise the potential of your business.
Making a Positive Change
The key to successfully changing your work space and the impact it has on people is to take a collective pride in your space. For that reason, keep it clean and tidy with a specialist cleaning company like Square Feat Inc. Your space should embody the character and mission of your business and leave visitors with a strong sense of the company DNA. It all starts with understanding who you are and what you do and working to articulate that – not just slapping a logo on the wall. If you care about your actions and the environment around you it will inspire visitors and employees alike.
Working With A Budget
It would be wrong to assume that you need a huge budget in order to make your office over. A little goes a long way when it comes to refreshing your space. Simple things such as altering the layout of the office furniture can work really well, or getting a couple of sofa to replace tired chairs in the reception area or breakout space. Finding good storage solutions for paper files or biting the bullet and opting for a completely digital filing system can free up a lot of space relatively quickly and make people’s desks feel less cluttered, which in turn has a impact on their mindset, ensuring they can think quickly and clearly and focus on their work rather than finding misplaced items.
Colour psychology
Another productivity hack that doesn’t have to cost lots is choosing to repaint some of the walls, and using the psychology of colour to insure concentration or discussion. Blue tones are great for areas where process is followed, logic needs to prevail and you want to enhance concentration and soothe the mind. Green tones can promote creativity, whilst red stimulates and induces discussion. Choosing the colour scheme carefully can really help with your aims. You could also choose to work your brand colours into the scheme – perhaps choosing the focal point of a main wall to let visitors and clients know they are in the right place and start giving off your brand impression from the beginning.
Introduce Some Greenery
It may sound far fetched, but studies by Cardiff University have proven that adding green plants to your working space can boost productivity by an incredible 15 per cent. The concentration and satisfaction of staff both increased with the introduction of plants, which could be linked to the increase in air quality. The foliage absorbs dust, pollutants and other undesirable air particles. So landscape the office with some plants – air plants or succulents are an especially good choice as they are low maintenance and quite hardy.
Get Everyone Moving
Being too sedentary is literally a killer, and something most of us in office environments are guilty of. Design the space with breakout areas to encourage you and your staff to take frequent short breaks during the working day. Far from reducing output, they can counter you hitting a productivity wall by resetting the brain to gain a new perspective on whatever problem you’re grappling with. Multiple studies have shown that interspersing periods of sustained concentration with mental rest periods lowers stress levels and improves health and productivity – an idea captured by the Pomodoro Technique, which a lot of business leaders embrace. Build in opportunities for movement in your workforce by locating printing and shredding facilities away from desks and a water cooler in the opposite corner.
Get Away From Gadgets
Smartphones, wearable tech, tablets and smartphones are a part of modern life, and they have a role to play in making us all more organised and efficient. However, the constant stream of notifications calling for attention can be a drain on our focus and lead to wasted time. OfficeTeam did a survey which found that workers spend an average of five hours a week on their mobiles doing things unrelated to work – losing more than half a working day. To avoid competition from other screens, create a home for gadgets to charge up away from desks.