The Importance of Office Design
The Importance of Office Design
According to Gensler, poorly designed offices cost UK businesses £230 billion every year.
Regardless of your industry, your office environment will have a significant impact on the performance of your company. As the place where many of your staff work all day, it has a profound impact on their productivity, which in turn drives company performance.
For professional services firms in industries like law and finance, your office(s) have an even bigger impact on company performance. Your office will either be hurting or helping your company's performance.
The good news is that you are in control of the impact your office has on your company's performance. By designing an efficient and effective workspace, you can maximise the positive effects your office(s) have on your company.
In this article, we'll go through 11 ways you can optimise your office design to maximise company performance. We'll also give you helpful tips as to how to apply each one. By the end, you'll know how to maximise the performance of your company through your real estate.
1) Productivity
Improved productivity is the most important benefit of any office design project. Without it, it is impossible to justify the investment of time and money required. A well-designed workspace will suit the way your people work, enabling collaboration and reducing distractions. An office that is designed to support your people to be as efficient and effective as possible will maximise their performance.
To create a space that maximises the performance of your people, you need to have a variety of different spaces to suit the variety of different tasks your staff work on. For collaboration, you will need specific areas that promote working together. For focussed work, you will want a space that minimises distractions. To learn more, read How to Maximise Staff Productivity with Office Design.
2) Innovation
Innovation is essential for any company wanting to stay ahead of the competition. Your office is where most of your staff spend all their working lives, so it greatly impacts their levels of innovation. When you invest in office design that encourages creativity, you create an environment that inspires your employees to be more innovative.
To encourage innovation in your new office, make sure your layout encourages your people to move around the office depending on what tasks they are working on. This will not only mean they are surrounded by people working on similar tasks, but they will meet with people they wouldn’t otherwise. Having inspiring graphics and artwork throughout your space can also help your people to be more innovative.
3) Collaboration
Collaboration is key to the success of any team, and yet many office designs hinder collaboration rather than encourage it. If all your office has is long rows of bland desks and boardrooms, your people will find it hard to work together effectively. Collaboration is about more than just sharing information. It’s about sharing ideas and problem-solving capabilities, which is much easier if your office design encourages this.
When designing to improve collaboration in your office, you first need to allow enough space. Collaboration spaces should now be about 30-50% of your office. It’s also important to consider how your people work together and to design collaboration spaces specifically for this.
4) Staff Satisfaction
The satisfaction levels of your staff are a crucial part of company performance. Oxford University found that happy workers are 13% more productive. Satisfied staff are also far less likely to leave, lowering your churn rates. A unique, comfortable, and inspiring workspace will have a big impact on your staff satisfaction.
To create a workspace that optimises staff satisfaction through office design, you need to create a space that staff actually look forward to being in. A key part of this optimising natural light and biophilic finishes. Breakout spaces for staff to relax are also important. To learn more, read about the Top 7 Ways to Improve Staff Satisfaction with Office Design.
5) Wellbeing
It is impossible to create a high-performance office without designing for wellbeing. If your office is a bland, restrictive environment, it will hamper the motivation, energy, and creativity of your people. On the other hand, a space that promotes both physical and mental health will help to get the best out of your staff. This will, in turn, improve company performance.
Natural light and biophilic design are the two most important components of improving wellbeing. By keeping your office open plan and placing the most popular areas of your office near the windows, you can make the most of natural light. You should also maximise the use of plants and natural materials throughout your office. For more help improving wellbeing through your office design, read this article.
6) Culture Identity
Culture identity is a crucial component of office design. When you design your office with your culture in mind, you create an environment that reinforces your values and purpose. Office branding encompasses the entire experience your staff have throughout the day, from the chairs they sit in to the coffee they drink.
To ensure your new office is on brand, you need to create an office that brings your culture to life. The first part is to make sure the layout of your office matches the way your people need to work. It can also be extended to every finish in your space, from the carpets to the upholstery on the task chairs. To learn more, read How to Create an Office Tailored to Your Culture.
7) Talent Attraction & Retention
The design of your office can play a significant role in both keeping your best employees and attracting more. Creating a great employee experience is central to successful talent retention, and the office has a key role to play. It can also help talent attraction by delivering a great first impression that distinguishes you from your competitors.
The first step to improving your talent attraction and retention through office design is by creating an on-brand office design. This will make your staff much more engaged, and deliver a unique experience that they can’t get anywhere else. It will also help make that all-important first impression as good as possible. Learn more about improving talent attraction & retention through office design by reading this article.
8) Space Efficiency
As well as increasing staff performance in various ways, your office can also contribute to company performance by minimising the outlay it requires. For many companies, real estate is one of their biggest costs, yet, because of inefficient layouts and office designs, they are wasting a lot of that space. Effective space utilisation can resolve this.
There are several ways that you can reduce how much office space your company needs. The first is going open plan. Reducing the amount of fixed desks can often lower space requirements by 10-15%. To learn more ways to use your space more efficiently, read 7 Ways to Improve Your Space Utilisation.
9) Technology
Your company and staff are more reliant on technology than ever before. It's often overlooked, but effectively integrating technology into your office can make it significantly easier for your staff to work and communicate. This has a resulting impact on the overall performance of your company.
To improve the technology package in your office, first survey your staff to see what technology they use at the moment and what they don’t have that would make them more effective. This applies to both user technology (eg laptops) and space technology (eg bookable audio-visual suites).
10) Sustainability
As well as being great for your people and your company, a new office design can be great for the environment, too. At a time when your corporate social responsibility is under more scrutiny than ever, having an environmentally friendly office will set you apart for clients, investors and potential employees alike. It can also help you reduce your office operating costs.
The most impactful thing you can do to improve the sustainability of your new office design is to reuse as much of your existing office as possible. Your new design should also make use of recycled and responsibly sourced materials and furniture with minimal environmental impact. Learn more by reading Top 5 Ways to Improve Office Sustainability.
11) Operational Costs
Redesigning your office can also result in a significant reduction in running costs. Operational costs typically comprise about 25% of annual rental costs, so even relatively small savings can have a big impact.
The biggest way an office redesign can reduce your office operation costs is by transitioning to more energy-efficient utilities. For example, air conditioning often accounts for around 40% of a company’s total energy usage. Modern HVAC systems are up to 50% more efficient than systems from 10 or more years ago. This can create a 20% saving in your total office energy costs. Modern electrical appliances are also much more efficient than outdated options. Removing the need for consumables can also help reduce your ongoing office running costs.
Office Design and Company Performance
The design of your office has a significant impact on the performance of your people and, in turn, your company. From boosting creativity to improving employee retention, the design of your office can have a significant impact on the success of your business. By investing in office design, you're not just creating a space for your employees to work. You're creating an environment that promotes productivity, collaboration, and success.
Now you know how to maximise the performance of your company through your workspace, it's time to put it into action. For help doing that, download Your Definitive Office Design Guide. Inside, you'll learn everything you need to know about office design before you reach out to an office designer, including what is involved, what it costs, and how to avoid common mistakes. Download Your Office Design Guide Here.
