Maximising space in the workplace is a pressure that all businesses face, as space has an impact on many things, including productivity and staff happiness. It’s easy to fall into routines and stick with an office design and features that have been unchanged for year; therefore these 10 tips will help you create a better environment for your employees.
1.Maximise light and open space
As natural light is a well-known mood booster, it is important to remove items from window sills and any other light blockages. By doing so, the room will be brighter and will give everyone the feeling of extra space. If the office has a limited amount of natural light however, the best way to attract it is yo rearrange the desks so that more are positioned close to windows.
- Avoid heavy furniture
Heavy furniture, such as desks, are not necessary in the modern day because people do not use them for storage that much anymore. Even though the classic large dark mahogany desk may appear trendy, when it comes to optimising a space, they are troublesome. Where possible, heavy, traditional desks should be switched with furniture that is lighter in terms of colour and weight.
3.Multipurpose spaces
These spaces can accommodate almost anything, from catch ups with clients to group meetings. In an open plan office, a meeting pod can give privacy without needing another room and can double up as a semi-permanent working space or meeting room.
4.Hot-desking
Hot-desking involves the removal of personal desks and the introduction of large, communal desks. These are assigned each day on a first come first served basis. From folding tables and laptop tables, there is quite literally a space-saving option to suit any space for hot-desking workers, while also encouraging creativity.
5.Declutter
Having a space that is clear and organised makes productivity much easier, so encourage employees to be ruthless with what is kept in the office.
6.Rethink the corridor
Make use of every space in the office, including the corridor and the staircase and turn them into productivity-boosting activities, such as phone booths for making calls away from the hustle of the main office area.
7.Sit-stand desks
Sit-stand desks are invaluable for productive working as they not only aid health benefits by increasing standing, but are also useful for meetings within an office space.
8.Quiet zones
Open-plan offices are becoming a norm; however, it is important to design a quiet zone for those that needs to work with no distractions.
9.Bring nature inside
An office full of pictures and accessories spoils productivity and creativity. Fix this by adding a few plants and indoor trees around the office, which will boost productivity long-term.
10.Store files offsite/online
An office full of unordered files piled together all over the place makes it look stressful and cramped. Choose to share to-do lists and post-it notes as a spreadsheet and store files on a cloud-based system.
