Is your office design harming your bottom line?

The design and layout of an office has traditionally been a low priority as far as business planning goes. As long as everyone has a workstation and the equipment they need, then that should be enough, right? Wrong. Business leaders are increasingly learning that a happy and healthy workplace is also a productive workplace, and that by investing in office design, you can in turn boost profits.

One way your office design might actually be damaging productivity is through lighting. If your employees are sitting at desks and staring at screens all day, then dazzling overhead fluorescent lights may well not be conducive to a good day’s work. Why not consider some more natural daylight bulbs, or choose an office space with large windows and glass interior walls, to allow natural light to filter through? A healthy ambient light can prevent employees from having headaches or feeling sick as a result of their work environment.

Another factor to consider is how you use communal spaces. Often the best brainstorms and ideas sessions happen around the kettle or in a hallway. Why not encourage that kind of teamwork by adding couches, pods and break-out areas in your communal areas? You could also think about ensuring that your kitchen areas are wired into your networks, so people can treat it as more of a working café than a utility area.