Back to the Basics

When designing an office, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The ideal layout and design depend on your type of business.

Stop what you’re doing. Take a look around your office. Are you seeing smiling faces or expressions that range from miserable to tired to angry?

The saying “two heads are better than one” is often true in the workplace. But what do you do when you have 20 heads trying to communicate?

Employee collaboration can have a strong influence on a company’s culture, productivity and innovation. According to a survey conducted by the Queens University of Charlotte, 39% of surveyed employees believe that people in their own organization don’t collaborate enough.

When we think about employee health, the office design isn’t the first thing to come in mind. Instead, we consider sick days, nutrition, health insurance plans, etc.

More and more companies have been knocking down the physical barriers to communication and incorporating an open office plan. According to the International Facility Management Association, about 70% of U.S. offices have some type of open office plan. Companies have been shifting away from traditional office designs to cut costs and improve collaboration.

Different generations work differently. While your Millennial employees may thrive in an open office space clamoring with noisy conversations, Baby Boomers may prefer a more traditional office space where they can focus on the task at hand.

When redesigning an office, you may consider the wall color, couches, desks and even plants, but what about the office chair? Your employees spend the most time in your office sitting in their desk chair, so you want to make sure it’s not only affordable but comfortable.

Your employees could have an exciting job, an out-of-this-world boss and incredible health benefits and still dread going into work every day because your office is aesthetically unappealing. When you’re spending 5 days a week, 8 hours a day (sometimes even more) in one place, the last thing you want to do is stare at bland white walls and rows of uniform cubes all day long.

In a perfect world, your employees would remain focused and on-task all day long. Unfortunately, this is hardly ever the case. Thanks to chatty coworkers, nonstop cell phone notifications and the temptation of surfing the internet, your employees are constantly distracted throughout the workday.

By the time 3 o’clock rolls around, most employees are struggling to focus and are ready to go home. They’re done with meetings, business calls and group email chains, and their brain has officially checked out for the day. They may be heading for the Keurig for the second or even third time of the day.