The layout of your small office is extremely important to enhance the productivity and creativity of your employees. A recent survey conducted by Gensler (a prominent architectural firm) concluded that more than 50% of employees were willing to work an extra hour each day without extra pay if they were offered a better working environment within the office.
That means a better office layout would add five hours of productivity per employee per week.
All this, just because of a better office layout and working environment. This is how important office layout is in increasing the productivity and bottom line of a small company.
This article highlights some of the most creative small office layout ideas out there.
1. The concept of one desk per employee is obsolete nowadays. This is a great way for a small business to save money in the office redesigning process. Mobile technology has changed this concept completely. When you walk into an office, you would see how many of the desks are really being occupied at a given moment. Office remodelling experts say that up to 50% of desks in current offices can be removed without any problem.
2. Adopting urban zoning is one of the best ideas for an office layout. A good city would naturally have zones for specific purposes. Likewise, an office also can have different zones for different purposes. Employees who need privacy can go to the area where the couches are placed, a talking area allotted for employees to meet and exchange ideas and a smoking area separated for smokers etc. This would help to clear the clutter and organize the office in a more efficient way, which would no doubt help to increase the creativity and productivity of its employees.
3. Allocate space for the employees to sit and concentrate for a few hours. A small business will reap immense benefits from this creative idea. There should be a special space allotted for this purpose where anyone else cannot disturb the person who is concentrating. This will get their creative juices flowing, which will ultimately benefit the small business.
4. Allowing your employees to bring in personal items such as family photos etc., costs nothing but could benefit your office immensely. These items can really brighten up an otherwise dull office. People would feel at home and much more natural in such an environment. This would enhance their creativity even further.
5. Let the employees arrange their space the way they want. They can have their personalized coffee mugs and other items on the desk. Some people would love to create with their computers while others may love to create with a whiteboard. Allow them to create in whatever way they feel comfortable doing. This will help them to relax during work hours, which would definitely help to increase productivity.
6. Lighting is a major part of any small office layout. Give prominence to natural lighting wherever possible. Use artificial lighting only where there is no natural lighting available. When designing your small office layout, provide a light at each corner of the office. Use LED bulbs to save on your energy bills and for durability. Use bright lights to avoid your employees dozing off during office hours. The lighting should complement the colour of the building. This would inevitably enhance the creativity of your office.
7. The paths in the office is vital for employees to move about naturally. These paths should be wider and provide enough space for easy movements during office hours. The furniture of the office should not obstruct the pathways in any way.
8. A healthy environment is vital in an office to guarantee the health and wellbeing of each and every employee in the office. Keeping plants inside the office will ensure that the office environment is healthy and fresh at all times. Windows should be installed so that fresh air can easily circulate within the office at every moment. It would enhance the creativity and productivity of the employees in your office.
The above-mentioned ideas are some of the most important things you can do to improve the layout of your small office. Such layout will help to enhance the productivity and creativity of your employees.
