5 building blocks of a happy office

The modern office and the way we work in the 21st Century has drastically changed. Now more than ever we are seeing a focus being placed on creating office design to facilitate employee productivity and wellbeing; two major factors within the workplace.

The way that an office is set up, from the lighting through to the office furniture, can dictate the productivity of an entire team and taking time to assess and adapt your working environment can be beneficial in many ways. It is of course dependent upon the industry, department and individual job roles that these changes can be made, for example, one employee may be able to work easily in an open environment whilst others may need more isolated or quiet working zones, however the right tools can provide comfort, increase productivity and improve quality of life for everybody.

Here are some useful tips to help you improve your office:

• Encourage employees to take a break away from their desks — Recent studies show that taking frequent breaks away from the desk and going for walks during a lunch-time break can invigorate the mind and body.
• Provide suitable seating for staff — Employees’ health and comfort should be taken into consideration as an uncomfortable chair can increase the number of employee ailments such as neck/back aches and eye strain, as well as significantly decrease productivity. The best chairs are easy to use with active and supportive ergonomics; which encourage the body to maintain its neutral position.
• Increase worker interaction — Opening up communications about the values and goals of a company and hosting social events can help boost team morale as well as helping individuals fit-in and understand company culture.
• An organised office is a productive office — Investing in filing cabinets and folders and making these available to every employee can help individuals focus and are likely to help reduce the time spent looking for that all important document — It is said that the average person can waste 4.3 hours per week searching for papers!
• Reconfigure your office layout — The location and position of workspaces also need to be taken into consideration as different departments have different needs. Tailoring workstations to help meet individuals’ needs can improve performance and productivity.

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