How can practical office design affect employees’ productivity? We take a look at the role lighting and decor play in getting things done.

When employees’ work conditions are designed with comfort and health in mind, you will be rewarded by increased productivity and staff morale, as well as a much more attractive working environment for everyone to spend their day in. We take a look at two of the more eye-catching design elements of an office: décor and lighting.

The role of lighting and decor in office productivity

Décor

You can quickly and inexpensively change the whole aesthetics of your office, simply by changing the colour of the wall. White walls can appear stark and clinical, while a University of Texas study discovered that walls painted in a bland colour – such as grey or beige – can actually invoke feelings of sadness and depression in certain people.

With that in mind, you should opt to accentuate certain shades in your office design, without going too overboard (the same study showed that orange and purple can have negative effects on men). Consider incorporating a feature wall in a cooler, blue-green colours, which can be less ‘aggressive’ than reds and therefore encourages productivity in some workers, according to Nancy Kwallek.

Of course, there’s more to décor than colour. Partitions have been accused of making people feel isolated, but a glass partition could offer numerous benefits, including improved productivity from workers knowing that they are being scrutinised. Glass partitions can also help your office space to appear more open to light, which brings us on to our next point…

Lighting

Getting the lighting right in the office is essential if everything else is to work. Natural light is best where possible, as it allows your employees to feel more connected to the outside world and helps to do away with the feeling that workers are unable to see daylight for much of their working day. Louvres – a form of window blind or shutter – are a flexible option which allow your staff to control just how much light makes its way into your building while reducing glare and maximising airflow.

Some office buildings may not be in a suitable location to attract natural daylight, necessitating the need for an artificial lighting solution. Often, lighting in offices is restricted to the ceiling, but studies show that the more lighting, the better in terms of productivity – the Light Right Consortium found that only 70% of employees working with purely downward lighting were comfortable, while 91% working in an office with direct/indirect lighting and plenty of vertically lit surfaces were happy with their work environment. For more detail take a look at this article.

A mixture of different lighting, with individual employees able to control brightness, is surely the best way ahead for any forward-thinking enterprise.

For when four walls and laminate flooring just won’t quite cut it, here are four types of space that should help foster creativity and innovation in the workplace.

How to inspire employees with office design

Creative agencies seem to have cottoned onto making work spaces conducive to creativity and innovation. Corporate companies, however, are less inclined to make such adjustments, but if you want your employees to sit up, take action and feel inspired throughout their working day, ensure you invite one of these four types of space into your office environment to get the most out of their time.

A stimulating space

Remember when your teacher used to take your lessons outside to the playground in the summertime? That wasn’t just to treat you to a little sunshine; being outside has actually been proven to boost concentration and creativity. Although you might not be able to move desks outdoors, you can bring a little nature into your working habitat. Think natural looking wood flooring designs, real plant life scattered about the place, windows that actually open and perhaps even a little aquarium? That feeling of freedom and being in touch with nature is likely to boost productivity, tenfold.

Nature not your thing? There are many office spaces cropping up with faux trees sprouting within, or tardis’ in the corner of rooms, so why not inject a little spirit into your office and celebrate the uncanny instead? Start with a picnic area instead of a canteen, complete with turf and benches, or perhaps a meeting room decorated in the style of an old school classroom to stimulate the mind. If you don’t feel like going all the way, simply experiment with colourful carpet tiling and floating floors to achieve a modern and stylish look. After all, 9-5s needn’t be boring.

A fluid space

Who wants to be cramped up next to someone who chews loudly or hammers their keyboard at 70 miles per hour? Create space (or at least the illusion of space) between desks and work stations using raised floors for different areas, separation screens and larger desks so you feel you have the space to create… or even just think. Sitting, hunched over, tapping away at your laptop or computer for eight hours a day is not ideal either, so introduce standing desks, collaborative work stations and interesting ‘break out zones’ where employees can head to when they need a little movement.

A playful space

There’s a reason why breaks during the working day are encouraged, if not mandatory, so why not create playful spaces your employees can relax, get to know each other and even do their best thinking in? Lots of creatives say their best ideas come to them when their mind is distracted i.e. when they are hanging out with friends or having fun – so create somewhere for them to do just that within their working day and watch their productivity sky rocket. Think ping pong tables, bean bags or retro game machines to start.

A quiet space

Everybody needs the time and space to reflect on things every once in a while. In fact, it is only natural for the human brain to want to tackle a problem by taking a moment of quiet to try and solve it, so having areas in your office space that allow for such thinking will be conducive to your employees’ performance. Think less fuss and more bright whites and bare walls in these areas in order to limit distraction and free the mind.

Of course, not all of these types of space will appeal to every type of business, but consider incorporating at least some of these aspects into your workspace.

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