Your employees are well-compensated. You always ensure that they are heard and seen. You prioritize their overall well-being.
Yet, your employees are still unproductive.
More often than not, the issue is not you. It may have something to do with your workplace design.
What is Workplace Design and How it Affects Employee Productivity?
“Workplace design” refers to the process of organizing an office space to boost employee productivity. This is regardless of whether you are in a high-risk environment such as a construction site or a low-risk office.
There is no one perfect solution when it comes to workplace design. That’s because you have to consider your commercial space’s layout, number of employees, their work style, and more.
Nonetheless, how you organize a workplace can impact their morale and productivity.
Noise and Distraction
Whether you have a multigenerational workforce or employ primarily millennial employees, your people will be impervious to distractions. As such, it would be ideal if you could incorporate a quiet and interruption-free office space in your workplace design.
Privacy
According to a 2013, lack of privacy is identified as one of the leading causes of workplace dissatisfaction. Employees feel uneasy when they feel that they are under scrutiny. It also limits the exchange of ideas and makes your people prone to sickness.
Option and Control
Adjustable desks, lighting options, and variations in office spaces can boost employee productivity. The same thing goes for telecommuting options. Hence, consider providing your people the flexibility to control their work environment.
5 Best Workplace Design to Boost Employees Morale
Now that what workplace design is and how it can affect employee morale, let’s check out the best trends that you can follow:
Trend 1: Flexible and Forward Thinking
Traditional office design, with designated cubicles and all, no longer works for today’s business challenges.
For one, there is an increasing number of Millennials and Gen Z in the labor force. Second, today’s business challenges require collaborative problem-solving.
As such, it would be ideal to set up a modular office design. It can be as simple as propping bean bags in a lounge so employees can huddle when needed. Another example would be providing laptops to employees for immediate collaboration.
Trend 2: Blended and Activity-based
While today’s labor force thrives in a social and collaborative environment, privacy is still needed. This is where having a blended and activity-based workplace design can come in handy.
You can do this by applying an open floor plan. However, you can add zoned spaces where employees can collaborate or work in private.
For instance, you can have an open floor place where your employees are seated side-by-side. And then, you can add conference rooms of various sizes for town hall meetings and client interactions. You can also install a privacy pod for employees who prefer to work in peace.
Trend 3: Well-being and Ergonomics
There is no denying that our work environment can impact our mental, physical, and emotional health.
For instance, sitting for hours is proven to be a health hazard. As such, it would be ideal if you could provide standing desks.
Another thing to look into is whether your workplace design is easy to clean. That’s because a clean office environment reduces the risk of your employees contracting and spreading disease-causing germs. Hence, we often recommend that our clients at Maid Sailors Hoboken Cleaning Service consider ease of cleanliness in their workplace design.
Trend 4: Lifestyle-based and Employee Appeal
Your workplace design can help you attract top talents. That’s because employees these days prefer to work in a company that can support their lifestyle.
This can mean an office with a pantry that has an unlimited supply of water and coffee. Another idea would be to have space for working out, meditation, or recreation. You can also add sleep pods if you have the space and budget for them.
Having such an office design sends a message to employees that you care about their holistic well-being.
Trend 5: Integrated Technology
These days, it is imperative that you integrate digital-based business processes and technology when designing an office.
This means ensuring that every office table has its own Wi-Fi enabled desktop computers and other essential tools. It is also vital that you have project management and content-sharing solutions. Doing so reduces the need for meetings and allows employees to get things done immediately.
The only caveat is thinking of how you can conceal those wires that come with integrated technology.
How Would You Want Your Office to Look Like?
There is no denying that changes in the workplace are happening on a global scale. So much so that it is time to get rid of the traditional and fixed office design and replace them with the following:
- Flexible and forward-thinking
- Blended and activity-based
- Well-being and ergonomics
- Lifestyle-based and employee appeal
- Integrated technology
The key here is to provide a work environment where your employees can collaborate and work in private when needed. It would also help if it could support their lifestyle and prioritize their overall well-being.
Doing so ensures that you are helping them boost their morale and productivity.