Businesses and organizations require not only a great workplace design that can accentuate the organization’s brand values, but also one that maintains the primary objective of providing its employees with a productive environment.
Over the years, workplace design has changed significantly, encouraging us to interact more with our workplace and helping build the perfect office environment. So, what truly makes a great workplace?
Let’s take a look at three key elements of great workplace design.
Adjustable Space
We all need a little control over our lives to stay sane, no matter how laid back you may be. Giving people even the slightest amount of control over their environment increases their satisfaction and reduces their stress levels, allowing them to focus more on their tasks.
There are a number of ways to achieve this for individual workspaces, such as:
- Height adjustable work surfaces
- Ergonomic seating
- Whiteboards/Glassboards
- Transitional walls
Planning Interiors provided adjustable desks for the SPUR 100 project. Allowing your employees to choose where they work, whether that position is inside or outside the building gives them control over their level of immersion versus seclusion. This also makes them feel like a valued, trustworthy employee.
Access to Sunshine
It has been shown that natural light provides energy, vitamins, and a more regular sleep cycle. Some ways to incorporate natural light into your workplace design include:
- Giving people flexibility over their workspace so that they can choose to work near daylight when they need to
- Planning workstations and lounge area close to windows
- Using glass walls to allow light to move further through the office
Encouraging remote work or brief breaks for your employees to maximize exposure to sunlight is a great way to avoid burnouts. By including Wi-Fi patios or outdoor walking trails, productivity and relaxation can be accomplished. Our Definition 6 office design incorporated the use of roll-up garage doors to increase sunlight in the breakroom.
Adequate Storage
Flexible structure and storage options may lead to a sense of control over the workplace. This can be as simple as:
- Places for displaying personal photos and decorations
- Storage for items such as tennis shoes, coats, backpacks, bags, and snacks
- Various working tools such as trays, pencil holders and paper sorters
- Mobile pedestals that can roll to wherever a person works that day
- Free-address lockers for traveling workers
Allowing employees to personalize their space and organize their items provides a sense of order and control in the workplace. Having storage to keep personal belongings safe will provide a neat and organized workplace, free of distractions. Our Scott Madden design included plenty of cabinets and hidden storage that’s easily accessible.
Incorporate these three key workplace design elements into your office for happy, healthy staff! If you need any help with workplace design, don’t hesitate to contact Planning Interiors!