The space that surrounds us can have a profound effect on how we think, feel and act. That at least partially explains why we take so many pains to make our homes look, feel and smell in specific ways. It probably goes without saying that the same should hold true when you are setting up the optimal workplace.
FACILITATE MULTIPLE PRIORITIES
Today’s employees generally are involved in numerous projects, some of which they accomplish on their own and others that require partnerships with colleagues. When designing your office layout, be sure to take all modes of work into consideration. If possible, furnish spaces that allow for quiet focus set apart from others in a cubicle or closed room, an open environment where day-to-day jobs can be done, conference rooms with doors that can close when privacy is necessary, a place where presentations to larger audiences can happen and a break area where everyone can relax. In other words, the “one floor plan” model of the past has been usurped by a more task-oriented, diverse construct.
PUT YOUR CULTURE AT THE FOREFRONT
If the products or services you sell fill a particular niche, it makes sense to reflect them in the way you decorate your space. Doing so also means that you need to take your company’s interactional style into consideration. According to a Los Angeles office furniture store, a business that has made a name for itself by designing and developing e-sports games should construct its workspace to reflect a young, high-tech, possibly sci-fi vibe. By contrast, a tax preparation and accounting company’s décor should connote stability, trustworthiness, and attention to detail.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR SPACE ACCORDING TO HOW YOUR STAFF LIKES TO WORK
The offices that are best set up to maximize employee productivity are successful because they are compatible with the ways employees enjoy doing their jobs. Some jobs are best done in quiet, more solitary environments; other workers are happiest and most efficient when they can move from colleague to colleague, sometimes breaking off into spontaneous workgroups. Before you spend megabucks on fancy desks or other amenities, have a heart-to-heart with your staff. They are the experts on what makes for their most satisfying and stimulating work environment.
KEEP EVOLVING
No doubt, you anticipate having different, upgraded technology in the coming years. Remaining stuck with what you are currently using simply does not mesh with today’s business ethos. Similarly, what you and your staff want today in terms of your space might be very different from your priorities one or five years from now. Therefore, create an office layout that can be modified as your needs and priorities change.
The workplace you create for yourself and your employees must take two equally important factors into account: the jobs that need to be done and the work styles and priorities of the people tasked to accomplish them. The way you organize and design your site is the physical manifestation of your understanding of these priorities. When you do it right, your conscientiously designed floor plans and décor will create the optimal environment for accomplishing the myriad of priorities you address each day.
