The office cubicle days are becoming the thing of the past. As bad as they might seem to us nowadays, they were once excellent at doing their job – making the employees focused on performing the job at hand. With new generations in the workforce come new trends in the office space design, and that’s completely normal.
No matter how the designs wary, all of them have the same goal – to inspire productivity and put creativity front and centre. Let’s see how you can design your workplace to foster and inspire these two crucial aspects.
Create a gathering place
Aside from making sure that all of your employees have their own workstations, you should also create a designated gathering place in your office. This can be a large communal table or an area with comfortable seating solutions – like big sofas or bean bags. Either way, it’s purpose should be inspiring your employees to brainstorm and share their ideas in a casual, organic way.
Include motivational quotes in your design
While we used to laugh at those motivational posters that could be found in old offices (“I want to believe”) the truth is that all of us really do need some motivation from time to time. When you are feeling particularly blue, a simple “You can do it” can snap you out of the gloominess and motivate you to try and give your best. Therefore, ask your employees to help you come up with various motivational catch-phrases, and include them in your office design.
Add a touch of nature
Aside from a gathering place, a modern office could really benefit from a beautifully designed outdoor area, as well. Experts at Think Outside Gardens propose to fill your yard with a lot of comfortable seating solutions and make the overall design breathtaking. This will allow your employees to recharge their batteries out in the sun and fresh air whenever they feel like their energy is running low.
Get rid of wall clocks
Since almost every piece of modern equipment features a clock, there really is no need to have a wall clock in your office as well. The ticking of the clock can be very distracting, especially if you’re trying to think of a new idea or develop a concept further, which is why you should get rid of them. Besides, you want your employees to focus on the job at hand, not count the minutes until they are allowed to go home.
Support personalisation
Allow your employees to personalize their work environments. Aside from letting them keep framed family photos or other trinkets they hold dear on their desks, encourage them to hang wall art – maybe even pieces they’ve made themselves – and add a whiteboard where they can leave messages to other coworkers. Also, unless the work they do requires absolute concentration, encourage them to play some uplifting music – but not too loud, they’re still in the office.
Be casual
A casual employer will always be more respected and appreciated that an always-nervous and stern one. Therefore, always try to communicate with your employees in a casual, laid-back manner, even when the did something wrong. We’re not saying that you should support poor decision-making, but rather avoid making a fuss about it. There are ways you can scold someone without raising your voice, and chances are that your message will even be better received that way.
Therefore, if your goal is to foster creativity and productivity in your workplace, consider some of these office design ideas. There really is no need to turn your office in a huge-scaled jungle Jim; just try to get rid of all the creativity killers and put inspirational boosters front and centre.