We already talked about things that every business owner should consider, but what if your business gets larger and you need to organize an office space?
We have a huge number of requirements for office space: everything here must work to improve labor efficiency, the status of a business owner, and support a friendly, cohesive atmosphere.
Required elements: comfortable ergonomic furniture (for example, office chairs), good ventilation, modern technology, cleanliness, and tidiness. And then – the particulars that the company will pay, and all so that employees feel comfortable so that they willingly come to work and make this work brilliantly. Here are some expected (and not always obvious) recommendations for what to look for when setting up a new or renovating an old building.
How to arrange the space
Depending on the layout of the room where it is planned to equip the office, there are two design concepts:
- Open
- Closed
The open plan is a common area for all employees, divided by light partitions. This concept is chosen in companies where constant interaction of managers is necessary for successful activities. It is easier for them to exchange information with each other, therefore, work efficiency is significantly increased.
At the same time, the employees themselves are not always comfortable in such an environment. The movements and conversations of colleagues are distracting, the lack of privacy is annoying. In addition, only business information is not always exchanged – close proximity is conducive to personal conversations.
A closed concept is more usual for offices – corridors and separate offices, division into departments. It is chosen by companies with a clear hierarchy. Such zoning is convenient for holding meetings with a client, solitary work that does not require constant communication.
No matter whether you decide to go with an open or closed plan, it is logical to check whether a specific method is working for your office workforce or not. For that, space sensors are being used nowadays, which is helping the high managers of the company to make strategic, well-thought out decisions.
Office decoration
Color
Psychologists have long understood the mechanisms of the influence of colors on a person, it is important to take this into account when choosing a color scheme for an office. Too bright and provocative colors should be avoided, they cause fatigue and sadness, which reduces performance (black, purple, bright green). Pastel colors, interspersed with bright accents, will be a more winning option.
Material
Furnishing materials are selected depending on the overall style and budget. If funds allow – leather and solid wood, which is suitable for the traditional office of the head. For hi-tech – metal and a minimum of details, overall laconicism. Whatever you choose, today you can furnish your office in style with a minimum of funds.
Functionality
This is the basic principle of the selection of furniture for the working space. Comfortable, not bulky tables and chairs (office chairs), shelving, even blinds – everything should be as comfortable as possible, matched in the same style. To find good examples of comfortable and functional furniture pieces you can go to NYFO.
Light
Local lighting will be the most correct; it is necessary to rationally place light sources in order to ensure comfort in the room. Natural light only plays a role in small offices, where it is possible to place tables close to the windows.
How to equip a workplace
A dense layer of dust on office equipment and circles from a mug with coffee will also not play into your hands, it is better to keep it all in order.
First of all, keep order. If a keyboard, a pen and a half-eaten apple are safely hidden under a layer of documents, you will have to spend a lot of time looking for what you need. Personal belongings will help you feel more relaxed – feel free to put a photo of loved ones or memorable figures on the table. But everything is fine in moderation – a photo gallery of pets and a flock of “money” toads will obviously be too much.
You can systematize wires that are always interfering with each other with the help of the tags: just sign each wire (printer, monitor, etc.).
Let’s see some interesting ideas that might enliven your office space.
1. Office library
The one in which there should be silence. Many specialties involve working with paper – documentation, teaching materials, useful information. Even a keyboard and monitor hard worker sometimes needs to spend a couple of hours in a relaxed environment with a paper or electronic media in order to weigh their own decision and benefit the project. So when choosing a status for a small space, try to organize your reading space. Moderately comfortable, but completely isolated from external stimuli. Backrooms, windowless rooms can be equipped with a mini-library, in which employees can safely consume and analyze data.
2. Command capsule
This is not a standard meeting room, but a room or area intended for temporary projects. A comfortable workplace that can be used by two (or more) employees from different departments when they need to practice a team approach. An experienced HR (or a leader who knows his team) can decide for himself how it will be more convenient for subordinates – in a completely closed space or just in a fenced area. Depending on the needs and possibilities, such an area can be separated with a blind curtain, glass walls, or an ordinary screen. It is better if you can sit at the table and opposite each other, and next to each other, to be able to use a variety of modes of cooperation.
3. Projector area
Presentation in video format, slides, set of graphs is a powerful and useful tool in almost any industry of business. To use it effectively, a separate viewing area comes in handy. You may not need this kind of customer communication, but what about employee training, wrap-up meetings, and brainstorming sessions? Rather than crowding around one monitor, you should provide a small but separate area with a convenient screen (trim) and equipment.
4. Office kitchen
As far as possible, each company tries to provide its employees with the most convenient kitchen area. This is a place to store food, and another factor of socialization, and a really good way to support employees’ initiative. A proper diet is a factor of health, which means effective work without unnecessary stress. Compulsory appliances (refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, kettle, etc.) need to be supplemented with comfortable tables and chairs.
5. Healthy atmosphere
Flowers and an aquarium, which are looked after by the employees themselves, will not only bring harmony and revitalization to the atmosphere but also increase the efficiency of the team.
Vertical gardening, tubs with palm trees, flower pots on passive surfaces create a cozy, comfortable environment in the workplace. This way of diversifying and enlivening the office is not entirely mandatory and should, of course, be applied solely on a voluntary basis.
Another global solution is bike storage. There are more cardio lovers every year, and when a critical mass is gained (at least 5 out of 50 employees drive to work by pedaling), parking becomes a necessary element for an office building. You can also equip it privately – employees will surely like such an initiative, and the undecided will have an incentive to acquire another healthy habit.
The key to the company’s success is well-coordinated work and the right attitude of employees. The correct arrangement of workplaces and the office as a whole will bear fruit in the form of high-quality work and high results.