Office Design and How It Mutually Relates to Productivity

Need to raise employee morale and productivity in the office? Then you may have to start with rethinking your office design! Contrary to what many people think, office design and productivity share a symbiotic relationship that dramatically impacts how creative, comfortable, productive, and satisfied your employees are. 

Well-thought-out workspaces allow teams to finish their tasks more efficiently and encourage them to work collaboratively with others while staying focused and engaged. Neglecting the value of effective office interior design in Singapore will only increase employee tension, ultimately lowering productivity and costing you time and money.

How the Relationship Between Office Design and Productivity Continues to Evolve 

Modern office design has changed drastically from the cubicle farms and bullpens of the past. Despite that, there is still more room for improvement. Years ago, company offices had a large, open floor plan with desks facing a supervisor. During the 1960s, walled cubicles rose in popularity and did away with the previous layout, which gave workers more privacy and greater flexibility to move around.

But in response to technological innovations of recent years, it seems open office plans have made a comeback to encourage communication and collaboration. While this trend does have its advantages in today’s office setting, it has also proven to cause more distractions.

Now the question is: where does that leave us today? For many companies, a mix between open spaces and private areas seems to be the answer for unfettered creative thinking and quiet solitude for undisturbed work.

Fundamental Design Aspects for Boosting Productivity 

More than ever, business owners must be intentional in designing their offices and evaluate how their choices affect their employees’ engagement, workflow, and productivity. Below are the five fundamental design aspects every workplace needs to up worker performance.

Ergonomic workstations 

Adjustable and ergonomic desk chairs and computer screens allow employees to configure their office workstation’s ideal height and comfort level to their preferences. This primarily helps reduce physical stressors common in office work, such as back pain, eye strain, and fatigue, which impede productivity if left unchecked. In addition, it is recommended to give employees the freedom to personalise their core workspace with whatever reflects their personality or interests to keep them motivated and engaged throughout the workday.

Eco-friendly features 

A noisy environment, poor air quality, and inadequate lighting are detrimental to an employee’s productivity and health. Combat this by opting for natural lighting wherever possible to reduce headaches and eye strain among your employees. Ensure your office is also getting proper ventilation and strategically place some greenery around the office to boost air quality and airflow. Lastly, installing acoustic controls, such as sound-cancelling equipment that emit white noise, is a good idea for taming noise and drowning out the chatter in high-traffic areas. If that is not feasible, sound-absorbing objects like lounge furniture, barriers, and freestanding screens can also help lessen distractions. 

Flexible working spaces

Throughout the course of the workday, your employees’ needs for their workspace will typically change. With that in mind, offer them a variety of spaces that accommodate their changing requirements so they can constantly do their best work. This involves offering socialising areas where they can interact with co-workers and quiet, secluded spaces where they can withdraw for concentrated work. By using mobile furniture over static pieces, teams are encouraged to roam around and can rearrange the area to suit their needs.

Idea organisation

Chaotic and disorganised workspaces only lead to difficulties concentrating and completing one’s work as visible clutter causes unnecessary distractions and even anxiety. Ensuring that workstations have ample storage space is the easiest way to prevent this issue. Furthermore, movable whiteboards also come in handy for quickly jotting down ideas without moving to conference rooms and interrupting their workflow. 

Inspiring scenery

Be mindful of the decorations, colours, and materials used in your office’s design. Apart from reflecting on the organisation’s branding and mission, what effects do they have on your employees? Do they inspire creativity? Provide a calm and soothing effect? Or perhaps ease their anxiety?

Installing artwork or murals in select locations may do the trick to get their creative juices flowing. When promoting a calming vibe, using neutral colours like green and blue along with pops of other vibrant colours does the trick. And lastly, incorporating biophilic design elements like live plants helps reconnect man with nature and makes them feel more at ease despite the pressure to perform.

Conclusion

An office’s design serves as the foundation that largely influences employee productivity. As such, business owners must strive beyond the basics of what their employees need and look for design tweaks that help them be more inspired, creative, and productive when coming to work.

Partner with Wilsin today and make your ideal productivity-conducive office interiors a reality. With our decades of experience in turn-key space planning, re-inventing your workspace to become the most conducive work environment has never been easier. Wilson will always have the best solution for your workplace needs, whether you’re looking to buy ergonomic office furniture or upgrade your office workstations in Singapore.