When we don’t maximize our productivity in a workday, our investment and expenses become wasted. This is the rule that every business owner should follow if they want their company to thrive and succeed. There are many ways a business can be productive. For example, most companies utilize costly employee benefits to increase productivity. However, this isn’t the only solution for that.
On average, companies spend about 30% of their annual revenue on employee benefits. It’s a reasonable amount to pay for productivity. But there is a way for your office to be more productive without spending that amount of money yearly. It’s through an office redesign.
The way our offices are outfitted can determine how productive our employees will be. First, let’s start with the color of our office.
Office Color
The color of a particular room has been known to drastically affect people’s behavior. For example, the color red gives people a sense of urgency, while gray makes people feel sleepy. So you certainly don’t want a gray office if you want to make your employees more productive.
Red and yellow have been known to increase productivity among people working on a task. While the colors blue and violet have been known to organize people and make them work better in groups. However, black and gray should be a color combination you should altogether avoid, as both colors relate to depression and moodiness.
Many light colors play a significant role in employee productiveness. Consult your local interior painting service to know more about this. They should be able to recommend some colorful interior paints for your office.
Lighting
Lighting has been known to increase productivity among people. However, only a specific kind of lighting has been known to do this: natural light.
Natural light has been known to increase productivity in the office by decreasing moodiness among employees. Moreover, it’s been known to combat mental illnesses such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Natural light has been known to deliver vitamin D to our skin when it comes to our biology. Vitamin D has been related to how to have active we are and how alert we are throughout the day.
You can increase natural light in your office by installing skylights and windows. You can also increase it by moving furniture away from sources of natural light so that you can let some light in. But if your office seems to lack the necessities for natural light, installing artificial can still increase productivity. A well-lit office is certainly better than a dim one!
Open Space
Open offices have been quite famous in many eastern countries such as Japan. In those countries, such an office design has been known to change the hierarchy in favor of equality in the office.
Removing cubicles and replacing them with huge tables can feel weird for your employees in the beginning. It’s just not something a lot of people are used to in the US. However, once everyone gets used to it, they become more communicative with one another. It can bring employees a lot closer to one another.
Indoor Plants
Indoor plants have been known to make places a lot livelier. Furthermore, they are known to produce higher quality air for their inhabitants. All of this can affect the productivity of your employees.
Getting indoor plants can certainly add color and life to your mundane office. Your employees will notice these changes, and thank you for it! Biologically, as human beings, we enjoy the presence of nature wherever we go, and having some nature in our office can make a difference in how we work.
Decluttering
A messy office is an unproductive office. All sorts of offices have some cluttering problems. The best way to solve it? Have small bins near every employee. The ratio to small containers should be 3-to-1, that is, one small bin for every three employees. If you can afford it, consider having a small bin for each employee.
By applying this in your office, there can be a lot less clutter and trash. It can also help promote a clean culture in your office. Consider partnering with recycling centers near your area because they can turn your trash into recyclable objects. Moreover, it helps your office become more eco-friendly.
We all know the devastating effects of an unproductive office. However, by following the tips above, you should make your company a lot more productive in the coming years. It’s a cheaper option than upgrading your employee benefits, that’s for sure.
