We spend an inordinate time in the workplace. Approximately 1/3 of our lives, around 90,000 hours, are spent in a cube or office. Therefore, whether it is a single lifetime job or several, we want our workplaces to be comfortable.
This isn’t always the case, though it’s getting better. More organizations have realized the best way to retain workers is to provide a comforting environment. Instead of thinking about this, you need to implement the necessary changes.
For further impetus, here’s how workplace design can improve employee performance.
Increases Focus
Productivity is wasted at work. Between unrelated conversations to social media, employees rarely put in a full day of operations. Sometimes, this is due to their environment. Lack of proper lighting or temperature control makes them uncomfortable. In turn, they spend more time adjusting to extremities.
On the other hand, the proper workplace design does the opposite. With the right touches in lighting, environment, and furniture, employee focus increases. There’s no need to run out for a sweater or squint at a computer screen.
This includes all departments within the company. For instance, the proper control room furniture, from a company like Constant Technologies, helps workers stay alert for potential issues. When this is in action a company’s productivity is maintained by quick troubleshooting.
Creates A Healthier Environment
A healthy workforce is critical to a company. When employees take days off due to something in the office’s environment, it slows things down. Additionally, the more they get sick the more they realize they need to leave. So, worker retention goes down.
This doesn’t mean business owners need to build environmentally safe buildings to support their team. Simple workplace designs can improve the experience. Internally, air ducts must be cleaned and new filters applied to remove irritants. If an older facility, a thorough audit is necessary for any signs of asbestos or harmful mold.
Externally, an esthetically pleasing workplace does much better to keep employees happy. The use of natural light allows them to absorb some needed vitamins. Purifying plants like bamboo and spider ferns clear the air of several toxins.
Improves Employee Engagement
This isn’t related to side conversations. Rather, the proper workplace design improves ingenuity and teamwork among your employees. In other words, replace cubicle farms with open spaces.
This isn’t a far-fetched idea. Pixar and Google, both extremely profitable organizations, instituted an open concept to their offices. Yes, their employees work in offices alone or with another person. However, meetings are done more in-person than through video calls. Face-to-face interaction is the best way to engage others to come up with out-of-the-box ideas.
Utilizes Technology
Technology isn’t just for work desks. It’s part of every facet of an office. Plus, there’s no end in sight to the advancements that continue to change how we work.
Media streaming, wireless charging, and content sharing are all part of modern workplaces. Artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and Cloud solutions have also become the standard. As these continue to transform, more companies create design solutions to incorporate everything. In turn, staid concepts evaporate.
Permits Remote Work
Technology in connection with workplace design does one more thing to improve employee experiences. It allows them to work remotely on occasion. Or, in the case of the 2020 pandemic, work outside the office indefinitely.
The good news is many companies didn’t have a choice but to apply technology to their workplace as the coronavirus spread. Without a team of workers, their businesses would fail. So, they were forced to implement these changes.
This has been mostly favorable for organizations. Though some are meeting resistance to having their workers be remote, many companies have shifted their workplace designs. Instead of a brick-and-mortar location, they now rely on video conferences and productivity applications. The result is an increase in productivity across all industry sectors.
It pays to create a workplace design to improve employee performance. Not only does it make them healthier but it also increases their joy. Therefore, retention rates become steady, productivity increases, and you end up with a profitable company.
In the end, workplace design also improves your own experience running the organization.
