Do You Want To Make Your Team More Productive?

Furniture can also impact on your employee’s productivity. Just by making your staff feel relaxed, comfortable and valued can encourage a teams dynamic thinking thus benefiting profitability.

In short, altering your office interior can only benefit your business.

Many employers deem the interior of their office space, if not customer facing, an elaborate expense that will not benefit the company or boost profits, however this certainly is not true.

Remember being back at school and having your test marked in red pen? It’s intimidating. According to a new study by the American Psychological Association if you see the colour red before starting an exam it is likely to have a significant impact on your performance.
In this study 71 college students in USA were presented with a test paper and the primary colour of the text being either red, green or black. In the results, it revealed that those with red text scored 20% less than those who had either black or green text.

See, colour can subconsciously alter your behaviour.

So what can you do to boost productivity in the office? Follow these easy steps:

• Capture feedback from your staff and find out what they like and what they really do not like.
• The majority of office seats are predominantly manufactured featuring mesh, leather or fabric and are bound to have features to ensure that everyone is comfortable, but it’s worth investing in a quality product that is built to last longer than scrimp on a cheaper alternative.
• Ergonomics is hugely important in the work place as it can improve the daily conditions and reduce stress and strain meaning those sick days will dwindle!
• Think about various ways to file paperwork effectively because a chaotic disorganised work space makes it more difficult to find files and work becomes more time-consuming.
• Effective heating and cooling will make the working environment more comfortable. Too hot and it can drastically hinder workflow, too cold and employees are more likely to make errors. The optimum heat according to a study at Cornell University, New York is 22 celsius (71.6 fahrenheit).
• Colours can play a huge part in how your subconscious reacts. Think carefully about the palette you choose as it can elevate the work place and boost morale. Pantone have an excellent resource discussing the psychology of colour that you can refer to to chose the best decor shade.
• Consider the office break out areas and if you have not got one, consider creating one that is not just the canteen. Previously it has been thought that these areas were for staff to avoid working, however nowadays they are the trendy area to reinvigorate staff and get their creative juices flowing.
• Having natural light creates the ideal office setting however this is not always achievable. Being underground with white lights blazing down on you certainly is not ideal. If natural light is not available opt for more “homely” lighting so it feels warm and cosy.
• If you do not have any outside space, bring the outdoors indoors with some lush plants and greenery to make the atmosphere feel more appealing and fresh.
• An open plan office can help in some departments and not in others. Consider where collaboration would be most effective and empower your staff by creating a shared work space.
• Think of your board room as the hub of your business. The area should reflect success, innovation and creative thinking where all the most important decisions and conversations are made, yet so many conference rooms are overlooked and designed with a clinical look about them. Get creative!
• Think about artwork around the office. A painting or a photograph can influence the mood of a person and evoke an emotion which can have a positive influence on your staff morale. Choose art work that compliments the decor and the atmosphere of your office and your industry and something that creates an easy focus for your staff. The best way to achieve that is to gather opinions from those sharing the space.