The Best Ways to Design an Office…and the Worst

The Best Ways to Design an Office...and the Worst

Achieving peak performance in your office has a lot to do with the design of your office. So a focus on this design is important. But take care not to make any mistakes, or to neglect some amazing potential!

Mixing private and open – good!

An open-floor is good – it allows workers to have more room, it results in a more communicative feel, and it also helps make the place feel brighter. But there are bound to be times where the open-floor layout doesn’t work for everyone. Some people may need some time to work in a more private area. So make sure there are quieter spots and small rooms that people can use for working.

Ignoring ergonomics – bad!

So hey, guess what? Sitting down for eight hours on a really uncomfortable chair is really bad for your back, energy levels, and mental health! Who would have thought? Yes, offices are never exactly the most comfortable places to spend most of your day in. But if you’re not putting a focus on making employees are comfortable as they can be, then you could be making a big mistake. Not only will their work performance decrease, but they may also start to suffer pains. You might want to check out some office furniture specialists like arnoldsofficefurniture.com.

An exciting sense of style – good!

You may think that a sharp, unique design style in your office is a bit superfluous. And it’s true that it shouldn’t be your priority. But if you have the time and money, then it’s definitely worth looking into! Making your office look more modern and colorful is actually a great way to boost the mood of your employees. It increases their sense of pride and satisfaction with their workplace  – and this is an effective way of boosting general performance.

Harsh lighting – bad!

A lot of people seem to think that it’s some sort of legal requirement that offices have harsh, energy-wasting, spirit-sapping lighting. Why else would the vast majority of offices have this objectively terrible fluorescent lighting? Yes, it may be cheap to install at first. But over time, it ends up wasting a lot of energy. You should be looking into LED lighting – and even then you should be minimizing it be maximizing the amount of natural light you have. Natural light has been shown to help boost workplace performance. Read more about it at psychologytoday.com.

A cool roof – awesome!

In a pre-engineered steel building system, a “cool roof” refers to the color of the metal roof cladding.  A “cool roof” holds a double meaning. First, we’re talking about the color of the metal roof cladding. Cool colors are lighter options (such as white, or yellow) in the spectrum, and they have numerous positive effects on both the building, and the surrounding environment. Second, we mean they keep your roof, and structure, cool.

Using a lighter color option provides a much higher reflective property for solar rays, and emit higher levels of thermal heat as opposed to dark colors, or galvanized steel. This ability to reflect solar rays refers to infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light spectrums from the sun. Mostly, solar energy is absorbed, but choosing a cool roof allows for it to be emitted, or reflected, back outwards.

Office SlideAn office slide – ummmm?…

Office slides, scooters, fireman’s poles, office astroturf, treehouses… there are so many crazy gimmicks that modern businesses use to make their office really unique. (As well as to rub their success and fortune in everyone else’s face a little bit.) Should you be aiming for these things? Well, if you have a lot of superfluous revenue and think it could genuinely help bring publicity and great recruits to the table, then it could be worth it. But do be careful about this decision. So many small businesses out there have tried to do this sort of thing and have just ended up wasting time and money! Read more about these office gimmicks at holykaw.alltop.com.

Image courtesy of Flickr.

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