The Impact of Office Space on Your Team’s Performance
The desire to create and maintain a high-performance culture is common to all business leaders. Key to achieving a high performing workplace is employee engagement.
However, one ingredient which is easy to overlook is your work environment’s physical space. There are many studies such as Gensler’s Workplace Index which explores the relationship between the physical space, business performance and what employees’ value.
Famously, Steve Jobs changed the design of the Apple Headquarters so that the washrooms and shared spaces were at the centre of the open plan layout, as he wanted to force chance encounters and encourage serendipity.
So, not every business has a massive budget for moveable walls and sleep cocoons but as the average worker spends a vast portion of their life in the office or workplace, it pays to have surroundings that look and feel welcoming.
An employee’s workplace environment is a key determinant of the quality of their work and their level of productivity. How well the workplace engages an employee impacts their desire to learn skills and their level of motivation to perform.
My Top 10 Tips to Reinvigorate Your Office Space
New colour scheme
From colour schemes to lighting, a fresh new look and feel can have a great impact on team morale. It also gives a clear indication that you value your employees and your business.
Refurbishment
If your company is growing it may be the right time to make room for additional employees. A redesign of the office to make the best use of space. Create an open plan layout to optimise opportunities for collaboration and communication amongst individuals and teams.
Express your brand
Space plays a key role in sharing your company values and showing behaviours that are accepted and encouraged eg; creativity and innovation. Use wall space to convey key messages and express your company culture.
Upgrade your Meeting Rooms
This space needs to impress from an external client perspective. It should also be comfortable and stimulating for teams to use for long hours in comfort.
In smaller break out rooms, high seating can support movement and active brain activity, with whiteboards and technology to share digital content.
The space should support the different types of interactions employees will have in the room and support collaboration whether that is with everyone physically in the room or virtually using software solutions such as Microsoft Teams.
Create Hot Desks/Home zones
Vodafone adopted a better way of working initiative where no one, not even the leadership team, had their own office. Creating a space where employees can share spaces and work in different zones can reap benefits.
In open-plan format create a quiet space where employees have space to take a call or have a private conversation. Open-plan offices must be balanced with spaces for personal rejuvenation where employees can read a magazine, change posture and disconnect. Having the chance to switch off when they need to will enable employees to perform better over a longer period
Office furniture
It is proven that movement throughout the day is essential to our physical wellbeing. Encourage employees to be more mobile and support a diversity of postures by swapping traditional desks for sit-stand desks. Create break out spaces where employees can move and use mobile devices eg; laptops, softphones.
Upgrade your technology
Research shows that employees who are given more choice and control over where and how they work are more engaged which delivers higher levels of performance.
Technology is a key factor in giving employees more options. However, many companies still lag behind with many employees still working in a traditional way with limited options for mobile working.
At Intuity, we have transformed how we work through very simple but effective changes. Consider introducing Laptops and Docking Stations instead of fixed PC’s to allow greater mobility; Softphones to allow staff to move while making calls; Dual Screens to increase productivity; Privacy filters to provide security while on the move or in open plan layout ; Mobile Secure Printing to provide secure printing while hot desking or in open-plan office layout; Office 365 Licensing and Microsoft Teams to support easy collaboration within teams regardless of location or meeting space available.
Provide spaces for social, informal connections
Create or upgrade your coffee room/canteen. As social animals, we need spaces where we can connect with others in a pleasant setting. Ensure your space encourages interactions through comfortable seating, good lighting and strong coffee! Be strategic about where you place your coffee machines to allow the greatest opportunity for teams to socialise with each other.
Upgrade your Document storage
Consider freeing up some much-needed space by removing filing cabinets and opting for an online secure document management system such as Therefore and SharePoint
Add Greenery
Adding natural features such as potted plants, living walls or flower gardens can enhance a workspace and support wellbeing.
Allow Your Employee To Deliver Their Best
Engagement is a complex topic, with many variables to consider. Redesigning the workplace is just one of many factors that can have an impact.
However, many organisations continue to overlook the impact good design and flexible ways of working can have on employee satisfaction and levels of engagement.
At Intuity Technologies we made a conscious decision to invest in our future and employees by redesigning our office space. We want our employees to feel good about their surroundings and have access to the best technology and facilities to maximise their performance at work. The outcome is that our people have choice and control over where and how they work allowing them to deliver their best!
If you would like to pop in and have a look at our new office space, give us a call and we will arrange a time to visit!
Our contact details are as follows hello@intuity.ie or call us on 0818 987 900