5 office design features to boost employee productivity…
Over the past couple of years, changes to working patterns have made many businesses reassess the role of the office. If like many of our clients, you are looking to bring your people back together by providing them with an inspirational, yet functional workspace that is worth commuting to, then you have come to the right place. Senior Designer, Jess Willdigg, shares her top 5 office design areas for boosting employee productivity:
Collaboration Zones
We all know we can work by ourselves; we did it for 18 months! But we can’t fully collaborate independently; Zoom only works to a point. Understanding employees’ needs and how they use their space is functional. Results from our recent Instagram poll on workplace wellbeing show how poor mental health in the workplace can be closely linked to our physical work environment. We have found that different activities require a variety of spaces to welcome collaboration. Collaborative zones help to nurture a good workplace culture and strongly encourage employee engagement and motivation. There are several types of collaborative spaces, such as break out areas, meeting rooms, kitchens and wellness spaces, but asking employees which ones they will most benefit from and use will give them the freedom to decide how and where they work best.
Breakout Spaces
Breakout areas are becoming more desirable in the modern office as they provide employees with a different routine to the more traditional working day. Breakout areas provide an additional workspace for employees to take a much-needed break from their desks and recharge. A big enough breakout space helps build a great culture, but it can make the space work harder by being used as informal meeting rooms, collab spaces, hot desking, and the social time we all need and desire. Ultimately, breakout spaces can help companies look after the overall well-being of their employees and improve employee satisfaction.
Flexible Areas
A flexible workspace is a type of office space built to provide employees with a range of different spaces and ways to work. This type of work arrangement features a dynamic environment. In it, you can find everything you normally see in a traditional office workplace: desks, chairs and computers. A work environment that supports innovation and productivity implements a personal approach to workplace design. In the coming years, agility will be more crucial in making businesses succeed, and flexible workspaces will help them effectively expand and align their workforce.
Quiet Zones
Creating a space for collaboration is just as important as designing one for privacy. Quiet zones in the workplace allow office designers to create flexible working environments where employees are free to move around the space depending on the level of concentration and focus they need to complete a task. Moving between workspaces and entering a quiet zone allows employees to disengage and divide their workday. A modern office phone booth, for example, is an easy and cost-effective way to provide staff flexibility.
Soft Seating Areas
We specialise in advising occupiers on both conventional and flexible office solutions – giving our clients full visibility of all the options available to them. We believe providing versatile office furniture, like soft seating, can help to reduce stress at work whilst increasing creativity and enhancing productivity. Cushioned seating such as couches, lounge furniture and bean bags can be used to create a comfortable seating area for your employees. This can be used in a wide range of spaces including receptions, breakout areas and collaboration zones.
These 5 office areas can help take care of your employees’ physical and mental health. Encouraging micro-bursts of movement within the workplace can reduce the long-term effects of sitting at desks all day long, and collaboration zones help employees work together efficiently and solve problems as a unit. If you are looking to create a diverse workplace culture, consider adding these office areas to build a greater sense of belonging and originality for your business.
Looking for inspiration for how your dream workplace could look? Then you have come to the right place. Head over to our portfolio to see what we have been working on.
Already know what you want but need to find the perfect space? Our real estate colleagues at DeVono will be able to work with you to define and deliver a real estate strategy that supports your business objectives.