Productivity…
… A word we get so much of when we’re in the office and something you can never really have too much of.
Although everyone wants this, it’s not as simple as telling someone to just get more productive.
With the rise of innovative leaders in various industries, more and more companies acknowledge the importance of functional workplaces for every employee and every personality.
At a basic level, we know that the environment plays a huge factor when it comes to work performance.
It can be as simple as allowing for certain physical activity to become easier or allow for improved cognitive function.
In this way, office designers need to pay special attention to visual cues, acoustics, spatial density and its social aspect.
So where are we going with this exactly?
Knowing these factors is only the beginning.
This is because there simply is no one way to use these to fit everyone’s personality.
A small change in the office design can have a large effect on not only the productivity of employees, but also their level of happiness.
Of course, you can easily pitch that budget for office furniture and design to the company since this will have obvious effects on the bottom-line as well.
Whatever your end-goal is, here some neat office designs to accommodate different personalities:
1. Introversion and Extroversion
a. Extroverted Design
Extroverts best perform where creativity can thrive.
We’re talking flexibility and freedom wherever they work. Office design ideas can then revolve around open, multi-purpose areas.
This means the workspace will double as places where they can be spontaneous and interact with each other to get ideas flowing quickly.
To add, ‘hot-desking’ can also help focus their creative energies so the urgent projects can easily be attended to first without letting them feel tied down with their choice of projects.
b. Introverted Design
Introverts, on the other hand, may not benefit so much from collaborative workspaces. In fact, forcing it will be quite counterproductive.
Quiet places where they can concentrate will be ideal.
Make no mistake, introverts can and will be just as valuable to companies as extroverts.
When it comes to presentations and performing, they may just need a little more time to work out kinks and get ready.
Although meetings are unavoidable, they are best left to their own devices for hours on end. This will serve as alone time where introverts can recharge after long periods of collaborating.
2. Function-based Design
a. Meeting
Meetings can be either formal or casual touchpoints. The typical corporate meeting may have confidential information, so this is best left for boardroom type spaces.
By strictly implementing time slots for meetings, you can go in and out of meeting rooms after the set time. This works well for setting the tone and getting team members in the right mindset, thus increasing productivity.
If it’s a casual touchpoint meeting, you can consider using collaboration areas for this.
b. Collaboration areas
Though ideas can be exchanged in meetings, collaboration areas allow for more casual sharing.
This means quicker interactions and less time spent in the more formal meetings. Typical pieces you can find here are comfortable office furniture and tables casually distributed around the area.
The collaboration area can easily double as co-working space as well. Around 30% of the office can be allocated for this, ideally.
c. Focus
Focus-based design means setting up small rooms ideal for quiet work so your team can concentrate. Half of the office furniture should help make these “Focus zones”.
These don’t have to be separate, special rooms; quiet corners with comfortable seating will do.
Office design ideas here can then mean some areas with partitions where people can work in peace.
3. Social Zones
A company is more than just the work it does and the money it makes.
Company culture is something we aim to foster when coming up with office design ideas and perhaps the expensive office furniture we invest in.
Done right, having social areas will add to company culture (think Google offices) and allow for team dynamics never possible before.
10% is a good allocation for this when planning the total office area. If that doesn’t add up to much, something you can try is to have the space merged with the pantry.
Mixing It Up
As we all know, ‘one size fits all’ is quite the myth. Now that we have the office design ideas above, we can now mix and match things for the turnout we want.
For example, collaboration zones may seem like a bit of a waste of space. This doesn’t have to be the case since you can make them casual meeting areas or even an extended break room.
To pull that off, just be sure to have your team’s personality at heart. Here are some office design tips you can check for that right combination.
Whether you’re simply looking to brighten up the place or really inspire your team, there’s a combination to fit their personality types.
The Bottom Line
It’s always a numbers game with corporate decisions. Well, to cover just that, let’s compare the cost versus the benefit of office redesign.
Firstly, the overall benefit allocating of spaces for different personalities in the office will lie on you and your team.
Will it have a dramatic effect on the office’s current state?
Are employees currently lacking in productivity because of where they work?
If you can easily answer these questions, then the benefit may easily cover the costs.
The Impact of Office Design on Business Performance report commissioned by CABE and BCO conducted in 2019 studies the relationship between office design and the economic/social value it will bring for businesses.
The study showed a 2 to 5% increase in overall performance – a seemingly low value compared to the opportunity loss that can arise from inappropriate design.
Still in doubt?
You can go for office design consultants who have the numbers figured out.
This way, you can rest assured that your investment will go a long way so your team can be more productive while staying inspired to stay for the long haul.
Do you already have an office design in mind?
We can help you perk it up and make sure the office design principles are in play.
