Boosting Workplace Productivity With Thoughtful Office Design

Yes, there’s an excellent reason why smart designers include massage rooms, pool tables, and retro arcade games in their layouts. However, it goes much beyond simply setting up a ping pong table in the break area.

A thoughtful office design may greatly improve worker wellbeing by elevating happiness, improving energy levels, and inspiring employees to be more productive. It does this by creating bright, light, and cheerful workspaces.

Here’s a list of top 8 office design tips to boost productivity

1. Temperature Control
2. Colour Choice
3. Plentiful Plants
4. Breakout Spaces
5. Effective Lighting
6. Smart Tech
7. Quiet Zones
8. Collaborative Spaces

1. Temperature Control

Everyone has worked in an office design where the air conditioning is set so high that, on a hot summer’s day, Margaret in accounts is sitting there shivering in her coat—a situation that is definitely not productive! Thus, it is important to keep office design at the ideal temperature and provide enough ventilation to keep workers alert and focused.

2. Colour Choice

The psychology of the workplace can be greatly influenced by colour; certain colours are ideal for reducing tension, while others can evoke energy and vitality. Incorporate these through feature walls or eye-catching furnishings to assist excite the brain and increase employee engagement.

Use green and blue liberally throughout the office design as they are thought to be the most productive colours, encouraging creativity and invention. While blue is believed to foster higher order thinking, green is associated with harmony, development, and nature (with all of its beneficial effects).
Vibrant hues like yellow and orange have a mood-boosting effect; they both radiate happiness and increase cerebral stimulation. Orange is also an excellent colour for team collaboration areas. Use these happy colours widely.

Emotionally charged red is one of the most potent colours; it may increase cerebral energy flow and boost productivity, making it a great choice for conference rooms and social spaces.

3. Plentiful Plants

It has been demonstrated that office design spaces that are designed to resemble the sights and sounds of nature significantly enhance mental health and wellness.

Here’s how to design your workspace with biophilia:

Incorporate a diverse range of vibrant plants into the workspace — as potted arrangements on desks, hanging from gantries, or as a verdant living wall – to invigorate employees and simultaneously purify the air and attenuate sounds.
Select natural wood or stone office design furniture and artwork that mimics leaf or honeycomb patterns as examples of natural patterns.
Maximise natural light and office design views of picturesque scenery to bring the outdoors inside. You can also promote “walk and talk” outdoor meetings.
Use fish tanks, cascading water features, and aromas of citrus (to uplift), peppermint (to enhance mood), cinnamon (to promote attention), or pine (to increase alertness) to mimic the sounds and smells of nature.

4. Breakout Spaces

Although an open-plan workplace has many advantages, employees may become distracted by ringing phones or chats between themselves, which can reduce productivity. The breakout room is a multipurpose hub that can serve as a bright area with comfortable chairs for brainstorming, a tranquil haven for private thought periods, or a casual lounge for get-togethers.

Here’s how creating breakout areas increases output:

The breakout space gives employees an opportunity to go away from the responsibilities of their desks and gives them a much-needed mental and physical breather. If calming music is played, this rest will enhance their creativity when they return.
These social areas, which are frequently found close to kitchens or cafeterias, offer employees a great chance to work together, sparking creative ideas and building a feeling of community.
Breakout rooms provide extra workspaces for employees without designated desk space in the era of hybrid working, fostering a feeling of community.

5. Effective Lighting

Two of the most sought-after workplace features, according to a survey by HR consulting firm Future Workplace, were views of the vast outdoors and natural light. Interestingly, among coworkers working under artificial lighting, the most diligent workers were those who had bagged the desks nearest to the windows.

Floor to ceiling windows and skylights let in an abundance of natural light, which not only raises vitamin D levels and makes people happier overall but also helps to regulate circadian cycles, which means workers sleep better at night and wake up feeling rested and productive.
When employees are outside eating lunch or taking breaks in the sunshine, they feel more attentive and prepared to tackle their next important assignment.
If there are no windows in your workstation, go for a lighter colour scheme, add mirrors and reflective furniture to let in more natural light, or buy full-spectrum light bulbs that simulate natural light. An excellent complement for people with seasonal affective disorder are special energy desk lights.

6. Smart Tech

By equipping your office design with the newest technology and automation, you may increase productivity by giving staff more time and resources to concentrate on strategy and innovation rather than manual tasks.

Here’s how technology can help:

Setting up many calendars to plan a crucial meeting can be a logistical nightmare, but intelligent IT software can quickly identify a good day by analysing these schedules and freeing up teammates to work on other important tasks.
Smart chairs that detect bad posture and correct it, as well as smart lighting that change colour and temperature to suit the scene and the task at hand, are examples of how smart technology may improve worker welfare.
Instant group messaging with apps like Slack boosts productivity and eliminates time-consuming back-and-forth email exchanges. For hybrid workers, virtual meetings can also be easily held through Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype, providing flexibility and increasing employee happiness.
With voice-activated AI apps and smart speakers, let’s not overlook the marvels of artificial intelligence.

7. Quiet Zones

Even while a busy office design might have a positive energy, there are some tasks that require strong focus and little noise disturbance. Away from the din of keyboards and printers, quiet office design spaces provide employees with the much-needed private havens in which to finish critical tasks. Here are some suggestions:

Staff members can finish difficult tasks or conduct private phone conversations in the self-contained, private spaces known as acoustic booths and pods. They are stylish and adaptable, with features like motion-activated air conditioning and LED lighting that make them appealing. They may also be upholstered with fabric that absorbs sound.
If there isn’t enough room for booths, designate a quiet place for staff members in an office design corner with movable tables, portable whiteboards, screens, and couches.
Glass windows or walls are an excellent way to create calm spaces with visibility. In addition to serving as a sound barrier, glass will reflect light, making the workspace more cheery and brighter.

8. Collaborative Spaces

Humans are social creatures, and as the adage goes, “two heads are better than one” when it comes to productivity. People with strong social ties perform better because they feel happier and are physically healthier.

Add India is an expert in space planning, therefore here are some suggestions for encouraging communication within teams:

Make sure conference or meeting rooms are welcoming environments with the necessary technology for effective work sessions. Incorporate cosy furnishings, eye-catching artwork, and—of course—a coffee maker to keep employees at full capacity!
Four-person cluster desks are a good addition since employees who are seated close to one another will inevitably want to discuss ideas and exchange tactics.
Establish “collision spaces” in the workplace where staff members can reunite over a snack and a cup of tea. This might be a kitchen adorned with lush plants, or it could be a lounge with a café ambiance. In these settings, even brief socialisation engagements might inspire innovation.

Conclusion

A well-planned workplace space that is lively, biophilic, ergonomic, and has a strong feeling of fun may truly motivate and inspire staff to work at their most productive levels.

Please contact us at www.addindiagroup if you would like to contribute to the creation of such an amazing atmosphere or office design/workplace design.