The way a workspace is designed will affect the employees’ well-being and productivity. It is very essential that you design your workspace well to maximize both these factors.
Tips to design your workspace
- Reception Area – Do not neglect the reception area when designing your workspace. The reception area is the first thing people notice when they come to the office and like they say, first impressions last long. They do not see what goes on inside the office, all they see is what that particular area looks like. In an open-plan entry area, however, this is avoided and the guests can see the employees at work and the healthy buzz of conversations.
- Spaces- lots of it – Do not compromise your employees’ health and productivity by letting them work in cramped spaces . Give them enough spaces to work on . Base your designs on what your organization does. If it entails a lot of brainstorming sessions and creativity, put up a desk where they can get around and do their business. If they need to be alone to do their work, give them a cubicle. Space is essential. Let go of the one person, one desk policy when designing the workplace. Allow space for more interaction.
- Let the employees decide – What better way to make the employees feel like they are a part of the place than by giving them the liberty to decide what they want? Let the employees bring in their own décor, pictures, memorabilia, coffee mugs, anything they want to bring to the office. That is how you get them to be ‘ at home ‘ in the office as well.
- A brighter place – Allow your office to have as much natural light as possible. Dark, dingy rooms are no place for a living being. A well lit workspace added to some earthly elements and greenery will always work in your favor.
- Zoning – A place for everything and everything in its place. Create zones, a kitchen zone for the pantry, a relaxation zone or a library to chill and an interactive spot for casual conversation to flow. A great idea would also be to create a zone wherein people can go do their work for maybe a limited time without any interruption since this will be a strictly no-interaction zone incase that person really needs to concentrate and a cubicle is just not right.