Productivity of your staff is a complex process and, as such, it’s affected by too many different factors. First of all, you have the issue of motivation and competence of your staff. However, you also have the issue of external factors. Here, office layout, design, and solutions may play a key role in the overall efficiency of the team behind it. So, how do office improvements affect your productivity, as well as those of your employees/coworkers? Let’s find out!
- Quality of air
The quality of air affects the health of your employees. Even before the pandemic, this was crucial for reducing absenteeism due to sick leave. Then, there’s the matter of being able to focus. When it doesn’t receive enough oxygen, your brain will start slowing down and you will have a lot harder time staying focused. So, how do you improve air quality in the office? There are several methods actually. A better ventilation system seems to be the most effective but adding some indoor plants might also improve the situation (if ever so slightly).
- Furniture
Ergonomic furniture is one of the most important things you need to focus on when it comes to the productivity of your team. Some enterprises are introducing innovative solutions like standing desks but even if you don’t intend to go that far, you can still make a world of difference this way. Getting adequate chairs for your team and organizing the layout so that it yields maximum efficiency can help create a pleasant work environment. Those who are interested in standing desks, on the other hand, will be glad to hear that this method may increase productivity by 10%.
- Sound-proofing the place
Making the place isolated from distracting noises can positively affect productivity. First of all, external wall isolation is essential in order to reduce outside noise. In order to further enhance this and even provide some protection from rain, you might want to consider wall cladding.
Keep in mind that internal sound optimization of the place also plays a huge role in the productivity and efficiency of your team. Rugs may lower the impact of foot traffic, while providing your staff with noise-canceling headphones may make a huge difference, as well. It’s also worth mentioning that the cubicle system tends to be substantially quieter than an open floor office. In the era of COVID-19, it’s also far safer and healthier.
- Lighting
Another thing you need to understand is the impact of lighting on the motivation and inspiration of your staff. For starters, you need a healthy influx of natural light in the room. Not only is this simple and efficient but it’s also quite healthy. Also, the more you rely on natural light, the lower your power bill will be. Still, you need some functional lights, as well. Here, going for LED is the best possible choice. Redesigning the lighting structure of your office is an investment that will pay itself off.
- Other senses
In order to make the place reach optimal productivity, you need to find a way to optimize for all the senses. First, you need to make sure that the place is light enough and that the air is of adequate quality (which is something we’ve already mentioned). Then, you need to worry about the temperature of the room. Here, you won’t be able to please everyone but for those who want to get the most out of it, the ideal office temperature is up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Making the place smell nicer is also a huge plus but you really don’t have to go out of the way and invest in air fresheners. Keeping it clean should be enough.
In conclusion
In order to give it their best, people in a certain work environment need to receive all sorts of positive stimuli. This still doesn’t mean that they’ll provide you with their peak performance, only that they’ll have all the conditions to do so. Still, for a lot of people, this could make a world of difference. Given the fact that the majority of these investments aren’t that substantial, there are not a lot of reasons to avoid them. Overall, you’re in for a great ROI.