How office colour can affect productivity

  We all know that colour affects our mood, so why aren’t more businesses choosing productivity and happiness-boosting hues for their offices? You might not think it’s important, but the colour of the walls in your workspaces could make a big difference to many aspects of the working day. Colour can affect the morale of your team, and happier workers are proven to work harder and stick with a company for longer. Colour can also be used strategically to combat particular problems in the workplace, such as high stress levels, tiredness and apathy. So, which hues should you be splashing on your office walls? Science and research have the answers, but you also need to think carefully about the needs of your business and its workers. Blue is the ultimate colour for office productivity - but use it carefully According to a number of studies, the best colour you can paint your office for maximum productivity is blue. Many people find blue calming, so it’s good for stress-relieving and can also boost the confidence of your team. If you regularly have deadlines to meet and stress levels are high, a cooling blue colour scheme can calm things down. However, you need to use this colour very carefully in the office. Bear in mind that some people find certain shades of blue a little depressing or sad. If you choose too cold a shade, it can even make the office feel colder. This can leave your employees feeling less comfortable, which in turn can hamper productivity as well as driving your heating bills up. With these issues in mind, you need to pick your blue carefully, and make sure you do plenty of tests to check how the colour will look in the natural and artificial lighting of your office space. Choose green for a pleasant working environment If you choose the right shade of green, you can create a more pleasant, natural-feeling environment for your employees. This is because many of us associate green with nature, meaning the hue can lower stress and anxiety levels, as well as boosting creativity and helping us through long working days. Make sure you choose the right tone though, as no one wants to work in a neon green office! Orange and red - use sparingly and strategically While researchers find orange to be one of the most stimulating colours in terms of employees’ energy and brain activity, it should be used sparingly. This is because as well as being just a bit too bright so as to be distracting, orange can also increase appetite. It should be used in meeting rooms and other spaces where creativity and energy are important. Red, meanwhile, is a very interesting colour. It can increase heart rate, so is not suitable for the general office. As it is effective at drawing attention, use red for warning signs and other focal points that you want people to notice. Colours to avoid - yellow Experts suggest that yellow can actively cause anxiety, annoyance and irritation, as it reflects lots of light which can lead to eye strain. Too much yellow can also cause tempers to fray, which is also bad news for productivity. When you’ve decided on a colour scheme, you’ll need to find office furniture that compliments it. For ideas on office chairs, desks, storage solutions, screens and more.