How to improve office space – If you are looking to rent office space, Derby, for example, is a great choice offering good transport links, modern, high-quality offices without the astronomical rents that London office space commands. Whilst office location should also be considered, with proximity to train stations, major road networks and airports high on the list it is inside the offices that big changes can be made.
There’s nothing quite like dark, cramped, unappealing offices to lower morale and send productivity nosediving. People work best in conditions that are conducive to work – in light, bright surroundings with space to spread out their papers and peace to concentrate and get on with their job.
Turn off the lights
Harsh fluorescent tubes can give employees headaches and create a depressing environment to work in. When looking for office space in the first place, try to find blocks with plenty of windows. When placing furniture try to give all employees access to natural light at their desk. Where this isn’t practical then try placing break-out areas or hot desk facilities near windows so that employees can choose to work in natural, rather than artificial, light.
Get some plants
No one is quite sure why plants improve office environments so much, but some psychologists have suggested improvements of as much as 15% productivity when plants are added to offices. Traditional favourites include swiss cheese plants, ferns, spider plants and cacti, all of which thrive on lack of care!
Keep the noise down
Open-plan offices may be a great way to save space, but they can be distracting places to work. Try to ensure that employees that need the most peace and quiet to concentrate have their own offices or are placed as far away from thoroughfares as possible. Make sure that employees that need to make a lot of phone calls are also positioned well away from those that don’t.
Ensure the air-con works
How Improving Your Office Space – Every office worker has a story about that office – too cold in winter, too hot in summer or with a funny smell they never got to the bottom of. Make sure it’s not your offices they’re complaining about by investing in maintenance for the air-conditioning system, or at the very least ensuring the windows open, the heating works and there are enough fans to go around.
Choose colours with care
Offices don’t need to be bland and boring – office furniture and accessories come in a wide range of colours and you can use that to your advantage.
Greens and blues bring a sense of well-being and calmness to the office environment and are good choices where employees are prone to distraction.
Red might be a good choice for more dynamic teams – sales, marketing or creative teams where the activity is to be encouraged.
Yellow is another good choice for creative teams as it triggers innovation is often seen as an energetic colour.
Tried all the above and it’s still not working?
There comes a point when you can no longer kid yourself that adding some plants or fiddling with the furniture is going to work miracles on your workforce. Sooner or later every business outgrows its offices and needs to move on.
When searching for new offices it pays to audit your current building and determine what the issues are. Do you need more windows? More or less open-plan space? Are employees asking for kitchen facilities you can’t provide or breakout areas you haven’t got space for? Are you located on the outskirts so no one can find you? Once you know what’s broken, you’ll be able to fix it.
