4 workplace design mistakes that can affect employee productivity

The right number of office chairs? Check. Enough desk space? Check. The basics of workspace design can seem simple. However, unless you know your stuff when it comes to planning an office, it’s easy to make mistakes that have a negative impact on concentration and productivity levels among your employees. Here, we take a look at four design faux pas that can prevent your staff members from working at their best.

Not keeping noise levels in check

Open plan offices certainly have their benefits, but they’re not without their problems. One common gripe among workers concerns excessive noise. If you’re not careful when you’re designing your space, you could find that volume levels soar and your staff members’ focus suffers. According to a survey of 1,000 office workers commissioned by Samsung, distractions caused by colleagues led to employees losing an average of 22 minutes of work a day. A separate study conducted Simon Banbury of Cardiff University and Dianne Berry of the University of Reading found that 99 per cent of office workers polled reported that their concentration was impaired by office noise. So, what can you do to address this issue? The good news is, there are some fairly simple steps you can take to control volume levels. One of the most basic is to try to situate noisy equipment like printers, photocopiers and shredders away from workstations. You might also want to consider creating designated breakout areas away from your main workspace where employees can get together to have informal discussions and meetings. This may discourage them from having extended chats at their desks and disturbing the people around them. Another tip is to incorporate office screens into your workspace. Strategically placed acoustic floor and desk screens can work wonders when it comes to keeping noise under control. They have the added bonus of giving personnel a little extra privacy too.

Failing to focus on worker comfort

Offices may not seem like the most hazardous of working environments, but in fact they can do untold harm to people’s health and wellbeing if they aren’t set up correctly. For example, if you fail to get good quality, well-designed seating and you don’t plan your workstations carefully, you could be storing up trouble. The latest Labour Force Survey revealed that in 2015-16, musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 41 per cent of work-related ill-health and resulted in the loss of 8.8 million working days. While the majority of these problems were caused by manual handling, carrying and lifting, a significant number were triggered by repetitive movements (such as those required for keyboard work) and maintaining awkward positions for a long time. This can happen when seating isn’t up to scratch. To minimise the risk of your workers developing back pain, neck pain and repetitive strain injury, it’s important to get to grips with the relevant health and safety advice. For example, when you’re choosing office chairs, go for designs that provide plenty of support for the lower back. It’s also best to opt for adjustable models. Meanwhile, when you’re setting up workstations, make sure your desks provide enough space to comfortably accommodate the equipment your workers will need to use - and design workstations so that your employees can reach all the items they need comfortably without having to stretch awkwardly. Your employees should also have enough space to be able to rest their wrists on their desks in front of their keyboards.

Choosing the wrong colour scheme

It might seem like a small design detail, but did you know that the colour scheme you choose can have a big impact on how productive your personnel are? A study conducted on behalf of Canon by Dr David Lewis, a colour psychologist, revealed that 80 per cent of UK office workers believe the colour of their environments can have a big impact on their emotions and their performance. Another study, this one conducted by design agency Aquent, found that people reported feeling the most productive when they were surrounded by soothing colours such as green and blue, while strong colours like red and black were found to have a motivating impact. So, rather than decorating your office in neutral hues, why not be a bit bolder in your colour selections? There’s no definitive evidence in terms of which colours promote the greatest levels of productivity, but by consulting your staff members and using a little imagination, you should be able to find a colour scheme that suits.

Not incorporating enough plants

It’s easy to overlook the finer details of office design, but if you forgo greenery when you’re putting the finishing touches to your workplace, you could be missing a trick. Placing a few pot plants around your office needn’t cost you a lot, but it just might have a noticeable impact on productivity levels. A number of studies have pointed to a link between office greenery and improved work rates. One, which involved researchers from Cardiff University, the University of Exeter, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of Queensland, Australia, suggested that adding plants to a minimalist office could increase productivity by 15 per cent. The study also found that the presence of plants could raise workplace satisfaction and perceived air quality. So, whether you simply introduce a few potted succulents or you go all out and incorporate a green wall into your workspace, it’s worth giving a nod to the natural world. By taking care to avoid common design mistakes and by putting a little extra care and attention into the setup of your workspace, you might be able to significantly improve productivity among your employees.

August 14, 2017 | View: 453 | Categories: ROOT