Gathered from my experience, I’ve found that people are often more excited about coming to their workspaces when it looks and feels great! Studies have shown that the working environment has a huge impact on the psychological and physiological well being of a person. There’s no surprise that the most desirable places to work have lovely offices that match their brand promise and business culture.
There are key elements that organizations must keep in mind when designing their space.
• The working environment should be as open as possible, open to the outdoors and within the office – this allows space users to have a view of nature and allows light to come through the space. To achieve this, I often suggest creating open office plans using glass or linear dividers (slats) to separate spaces where necessary. Studies have shown that just sitting and looking at nature helps relieve stress and anxiety and re-energizes a person.
• The working space should have moderate and controlled temperature. Too cold or too hot conditions can make things uncomfortable for employees resulting in lower productivity.
• Color selections should be strategic and balanced – not too white, cold or stark. It should be vibrant with some warmth to give a refreshing feel. Use different textures and colours to create a pleasant and engaging working environment. Well thought out colour use can promote desired behaviours – Always remember that specific colours enhance specific feelings in people and proper colour studies should be done while designing the space
• One of the most important things to remember is to design the space in a way that promotes socializing and group activities. More and more offices are now reducing the use of rigid desks and cubicles and introducing open workspaces with varied seating types – adjustable furniture, bean bags and alike, which in a way forces people to engage while they work and can increase work productivity.
It is important to understand the psychology of people and understand what motivates and encourages them to enhance their performance. Statistics prove that well thought out interior design solutions create better working environments, which in turn, yield much better business results.
OSARU ALILE
