Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Office Design & Your Productivity

My husband recently mentioned that his company was moving into their new office soon, and that he needed to plan his new office work space. A plant, good chair, some light, maybe a picture or two, water cooler....it got me thinking about just how important your work environment really is. A poor workplace costs businesses millions each year in lost productivity. And nowadays, the average worker spends about 45 hours a week at work, most of that time sitting in their own office. You want happy and productive employees? Make their work space comfortable!

There's many social distractions at the office that cut down productivity numbers, for sure. Good design and function only helps lead to better overall performance and happier employees. So what aspects of office design are most important? The most obvious is clutter. Many people waste valuable time just searching for papers, phone numbers, invoices, or resources they need. That clutter is likely also slow down your mental energy and makes it more difficult to focus. Try to keep only the necessities on your desk, and put everything else into drawers, shelves, organizers and cabinets. Colour-coded file folders and multiple to-do lists is my secret for keeping all projects and papers in order, whether at work or in my personal life.
The layout and set-up of your office is also important. Make sure you can easily reach things you use most often, like your phone, stapler or a reference binder. If you have to get up every few minutes to reach for them you’ve already broken your concentration and lost time. Equally, if your chair is uncomfortable and you keep getting up to stretch out, your body will eventually start to feel it.

The décor in your office can have a major impact on your mood or energy levels. I’ve talked about the impact of colour before, but I can’t stress enough how really important it is in your working environment. Cool or neutral tones are calming, and earth tones or warm colours can help those creative juices. Also, inspirational photos, plants, personal items or books, natural light from large windows (versus just fluorescent overhead lights) can also inspire, and boost your energy and productivity.

The more you create a work environment that matches your personality and makes you feel at ease, the happier and more productive you’ll be getting the job done!

1 comment:

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