Allocating funds to workplace improvements may not be the obvious first choice for cash sensitive smaller businesses, but Peldon Rose, a workplace consultant who is flying the happiness flag by creating offices which inspire and motivate people, says that such a thought process is crucial even for smaller companies.
Here are Peldon Rose’ top tips on how to gain better efficiency from your workplace.
Get assessed
Businesses change, as do infrastructures, and many organisations are surprised at how their space requirements can be reduced by a workplace assessment that analyses how space is used. It’s all about sweating the asset. Many businesses these days no longer require copious meeting rooms. Spaces can be clawed back due to new ways of working and technology.
Do not disturb
Sometimes there is a need for a little privacy in an open plan environment. Save the Children International premises has high backed sofas and chairs which give a sense of seclusion even in the busiest of offices, which is perfect if space is short.
Freshen up the space
It’s back to basics for this one – open the windows, turn on the fresh air system, and push a sense of clarity and vitality through the organisation. Over 65 per cent of employees are disgruntled with fresh air and heating, so ensure your systems are properly maintained and serviced. Try turning down the heat to drive up productivity, lessen absenteeism and increase employee retention.
Time out
Create a culture of beginning the day well and provide a warm welcome to the workplace. An open plan collaborative area, in which to socialise and relax during office hours, drives real energy into the office and aids communication amongst employees. If space is short, an area with a simple sofa, coffee table and books can do the trick.
Feel right at home
Branding is important but so are home comforts. There is a great trend at the moment to decorate cellular offices with sofas, cushion, rugs and lamps. Contemporary sofas are now happily nestling in open plan spaces for an informal quick catch up.
Breathe deeply
Parks and flowers have a natural, relaxing and uplifting effect on the human psyche, so why not bring some green to the office. Plants do bring a place to life by increasing the oxygen levels and purifying the air.
Stand in the light
o Poor lighting within the workplace is depressing and can be unsafe. Lighting is one of the main sources of discontentment. We can’t all have natural lighting, but lighting can be tailored to provide the daylight affect. Be creative, we have used desk mounted light systems, which resemble street lamps, which can be individually controlled. On- desk lighting like this is perfect for giving people control to alter their environments for differing tasks.
So what’s tomorrow
Great workspaces of tomorrow are designed and centred round the individual; making a person happy within the workplace is paramount; if the individual is content the team is happy and business is happy too. Businesses flourish on happy employees.
The necessity of having tasks departmentally organised and predominantly static and repetitive is giving way to a more fluid approach to workplace design. Advancements in modern technology, such as cloud computing allow for increased flexibility.