When designing work spaces, one of the most important factors to take into account is the people who will be working within them. Workplace design and strategy is fundamental in helping to maximize the well-being and engagement of employees.
Though the design and construction of buildings is costly, this is offset by the costs of compensating employees who are not healthy and performing at high levels.
Studies have shown that buildings can improve overall productivity and performance by as much as 12.5 percent or reduce them by as much as 17 percent. That’s a 30 percent swing between employee performance in the best and worst buildings.
The way we work today differs greatly from how we worked in the past. With the advances made in technology more people are working remotely and not at their desks.
Mobility is crucial to today’s workforce. In addition to their offices, employees are working in hotels, café bars, at client sites and at home. They need to be supported with technology and business processes that allow them to work effectively wherever they are.
In the workplace, mobility may require more “unassigned” or touchdown space, sometimes called ‘hot desks’ for individuals who are out of the office for a significant portion of the day or visiting from another site.
Workplace designers need to provide a variety of “activity settings,” or purpose-built areas for specific activities accessible to all, in order to effectively allow for all nature of work to be conducted.
Activity settings might include impromptu meeting areas, formal meeting spaces, project rooms, individual work spaces or break areas that make up for the shortcomings of exclusively cellular or open-plan environments. One size does not fit all.
Our view of the traditional workplace is changing. Employees are no longer satisfied with boring furnishings and grey metal filing cabinets. People want their workplaces to offer the same comforts that they would have at home, regardless of whether it is having a place to store their things, allowing personal space or offering the opportunity of engagement with colleagues.
We like to work with the best office furniture manufacturers available, so from office seating manufacturers in Northamptonshire to office furniture manufacturers in Lithuania, we have access to them all. This means we can bring the best in office furniture designs direct to you at fantastic prices.
