How Does Office Design Affect Productivity?

The members of your workforce spend a large amount of their time weekly in your workspace, typing documents, analyzing data, attending meetings, and communicating with clients and each other. Your office space design has a huge impact on productivity. Studies show that it is one of the most powerful and influential factors.

What design factors are key to increased employee productivity?

A workplace design that uses a large amount of natural light will promote higher working levels and healthier staff. Your offices may not be located in a place that gives you lots of windows, but intelligent window designs and large open spaces will encourage more penetration of any sunlight into work areas. Recent studies have shown that exposure to natural light and views of the outdoors and natural settings reduce stress, which boosts the mental wellbeing of employees and positively affects their productivity. 

Scientists are saying that workers who are placed in offices with windows actually sleep better at night. Poor lighting causes eye strain and headaches, hindering employee performance. A design framework that supplies natural lighting will also benefit your operational costs. Your design can also incorporate circadian lighting if natural lighting is not an option. This lighting will mimic the patterns of our actual daylight, keeping employees active and awake during the brighter hours. This helps guard against sleepiness, and also triggers the release of melatonin in the evening hours, allowing your workers to ease into the restful evening they will need for the next day. 

Collaboration spaces are another aspect of office design that can positively affect your workplace. While employees will, of course, benefit from quiet corners that help them to focus on the work at hand, these isolated spaces reduce movement and personal contact. Studies have shown that collaboration spaces that allow workers to move around also promote teamwork and prevent sedentary tendencies. Providing your staff with benches and comfortable chairs in community breakout spaces will encourage your staff to get more done, together. 

The use of ergonomic chairs and desks is a great office design strategy that promotes employee productivity and health. Your workstations need to be designed for employee movement so that they can perform their jobs in an efficient and healthy manner. The neutral body position that this type of workspace encourages is a comfortable posture, and working in this position prevents stress, strain, and possible neck and low back pain. Alleviating these kinds of physical challenges will definitely have a positive effect on the productivity of your staff, allowing them to work for longer periods of time with fewer distractions from physical discomfort. Your office will probably experience less staffing issues due to illness, as well. 

Employee-centered designs have a big impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of your staff. This positively impacts their productivity due to their physical well-being and the mental satisfaction that comes from working many hours in a wisely-designed space. 

If you’re considering some changes for your office space, contact the team here at Nashville Office Interiors to discuss all the options available. Turn your workspace into one that works!