Why Modern Office Design Works So Well for Employee Engagement

As humans, we are guided by our first impressions. When someone opens a door, they want to be welcomed in. The same logic should apply to your office space. Where office ergonomics used to focus specifically on physical wellbeing – correct chair and desk heights, wrist supports for keyboard users – now it is just as important to consider mental wellbeing, creating a frame of mind that will allow employee engagement and positive thinking.

So how do you make sure that the first impression is a positive one?

Technology has meant a rapid change in the way we work, as we now have a wider and ever-developing array of tools available to us in the workplace. Office ergonomics have adapted to this, giving way to ideas like the ‘hybrid office’ – a blend between traditional, enclosed workspaces and more open-plan, communal areas; and the ‘future office’, characterised by games rooms, office pets, modular workspaces and other features introduced to make the office feel a more relaxed, homely environment, with the theory that this will make office environments more appealing to the new generation, and increase productivity with a happy and positive workforce. Many companies are already reaping the rewards of this flexible approach to office design.

Employee Engagement

Part of the reason why offices have moved in this direction is that the new tools available to us mean that many people are able to work from home, hide away behind emails, that in some respects can be a bit of a dampener on team building and morale. Offices, therefore have to adapt, in order to be more attractive places to work. By doing so facilitating collaboration in a generation where company culture is being championed more than ever, particularly in an age of social media, where employees are often expected to communicate their brand values through their own social channels. A more relaxed, comfortable working environment contributes to this, allowing employees to feel less pressured, and in turn, get more done.

Even the smallest of changes can help an organisation encourage better employee engagement. It could be something as simple as introducing collaborative workspaces and community tables or providing a suitable breakout space where staff can eat their lunches away from their desks. There’s also the dissolution of hierarchies, with senior staff no longer cloistered in their own office; the growing trend of offices having a communal Spotify account, with employees able to play their own music throughout the day; and even inspiration from the ‘internet of things’, including smart lighting and heating, that are used to create a more pleasant environment.

Finding Balance – What Works For You and Your Business

Some modern interior designs can lean toward the extreme in design and we feel it is important that you find a balance between creativity and functionality, one that suits your business brand and culture from the front of house for your customers to the working space of your employees.

The team here at Novex have been workplace design consultants for over 16 years. We’ve helped companies transform their operations from minor works to full design and build fit-outs, and we can do the same for you. This could be something as simple as providing solutions for removing excessive cables for creating a cleaner space, or introducing something that transforms your office from something staid and pallid, to something more exciting and engaging.

If you’re in the process of drawing up your office relocation checklist, start at the most obvious place – the first impression – and give us a call.

 

Case Studies

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  • office interior design of a reception counter with with fabric snowflake screen

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