How To Design Office Space For Improved Productivity

Beating those Monday blues getting harder? Looking to design office space to spark the latent drive into action? You are on the right track. The design and layout of the office space have been proven to directly affect focus and productivity. 

The right environment has been said to raise worker output by over 20%. This makes it a vital aspect to consider if you’re trying to up your productivity game. Minor changes in design office space can go a long way in making your workplace an engine of productivity. 

We have done our research to bring to you the office design ideas that are sure to transform your workplace for the better. Read on to find out how you can multiply your productivity at work manifold.

1. No Dim Spaces!

Yes, the answer can be as simple as that. 

Often overlooked, the level of lighting at the office can make a world of difference to not only your productivity but also to your mood and inspiration. Dark spaces can dim out your inspiration and cause stress, irritation, even depression.

If this is something you haven’t thought about, we would recommend that you do. While natural lighting is best, in the absence of it, artificial lighting can be systematically utilized to reduce eye strain, fatigue, and stress.  

Investing in table lamps and overhead bulbs for design office space is deceivingly simple yet is a solution that works wonders on optimizing workplace productivity.

2. Be Color-Conscious

Colors do more than just add to the aesthetic appeal of the workspace. They may be more relevant than you think. Multiple studies have linked colors to emotions and productivity.

Knowing which colors produce what kind of effects on the workplace atmosphere can help you engineer the outcomes you desire. White, the standard choice for most office walls, should be avoided at all costs. 

Green for creativity, red for detail-orientation, blue for productivity; experimenting with your office color scheme can help you promote a productive work environment. A word of caution: too much of anything can be overwhelming and counterproductive.

3. Rethink The Open-Plan Layout

The open-plan layout has become popular over the years for being a cost-effective alternative to separate cubicles and encouraging collaboration in the workspace. However, it may not be the best option productivity-wise.

While the open-plan layout prioritizes interaction and co-working, it has been shown to hamper individual work performance. Employees have been found to get distracted and constantly disturbed by the noise of the group setting. This negatively impacts their ability to get work done. 

People also reportedly prefer private workspaces to achieve greater productivity and job satisfaction. The use of such spaces has been shown to reduce stress and fatigue, even decreasing absenteeism in the company.

Allocating separate spaces for collaboration and social interaction while providing personal spaces to work alone is a better idea from the productivity perspective.

4. The Right Choice Of Furniture

The importance of having comfort as a feature of the workspace can’t be overemphasized. You can’t concentrate unless you are comfortable, let alone be at your productive best. 

While comfort also depends on other variables like noise levels, lighting, and spaciousness, it has a lot to do with the kind of furniture you’re using in the design office space and how much thought has gone into picking it. If you find yourself constantly shifting in your chair or adjusting the seat, you can hardly be productive. 

The chair and table you spend hours using every day at the office are unquestionably the most important determinants of your comfort level, and thereby productivity. Getting the right office chair for yourself is as important as anything else on this list. 

Picking an office chair with the right ergonomics can reduce lower back pain, muscle fatigue, and the possibility of developing or worsening musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This reduces the loss of work time and boosts productivity. 

Making sure the relative heights of the chair and desk are suitable to have the laptop screen at or below your eye level and maintain an eye distance of at least 24 inches from it is crucial. For a change, you could also go for an office desk like this one. 

5. Consider Higher Ceilings

Apart from looking grander and more spacious, higher ceilings in an office space can allow ideas to flow more freely. That’s right; ceilings with a height of 10 feet or higher have been reported to be preferred by people, producing positive effects on perceived pressure. 

Found to facilitate free and creative thinking, higher ceilings are a smart choice for office design layout. If you are constructing a new workspace or considering renovating, you might want to go for a higher ceiling. 

6. Space Variation

Sitting in the same spot day in and day out can get boring no matter how well-designed that work corner might be. Moving around and working in different spaces with different things to look at can put you in a fresh state of mind and help you get more done. 

Having more than just one dedicated workspace may be a good idea for maximizing output. Conference rooms, break out rooms, and even lounge areas can provide alternative work settings. 

In case your office doesn’t have such spaces, you could achieve variation by adding a comfortable chair or a couch to the room. Adding a standing desk to the office space would help you shed off inertia by allowing you to stand and work at times. 

What’s better is you can even design a standing desk at home, complete with a standing desk frame. Even minor occasional shifts like shuffling the wall art or sitting on the opposite side of the table could provide the change you need to be your most productive. 

Wrapping Up

These elements of smart designing can make the difference between a standard workplace and one built to achieve productivity aims. They unfold the potential for boosting employee satisfaction, wellbeing, and performance. 

You can use this office design ideas information to make informed choices about the values you want to reflect in your office design layout or space and the work culture you intend to foster.