Is Your Office Working Against You?

Slides and fireman’s poles to get you from one floor to another. Oddly shaped pods, ski cabins, and wooden treehouses meant for meetings. Cavernous interiors straight out of the Paleolithic era. Vintage-style furniture, DJ booths, atmospheric lights, spray paint murals, and aquariums for foam-filled baths. Today’s offices are insane.

That is, insanely designed; a far cry from what offices used to look like, especially during the ‘80s when bad lighting and poor office layouts ruled the corporate world. These days, even in the most corporate setting, there is great emphasis on making interiors creative and stylish. The results are better productivity, efficiency, and improved reputation with clients.

Meanwhile, my office is looking pathetic.

Granted, it’s a small space with few employees since it’s still a small business. But when I look at how startups and other small-scale companies are outfitting their spaces, I begin to feel sorry for my own.

It’s not just about the lack of style or aesthetics; it’s also about how office design actually drives business performance and employee productivity. These companies that go crazy over the design of their spaces aren’t just doing it because it gives them a cool image. This “cool image” might draw in the most talented people in their industry, and with talented employees come better bottom lines.

But varying research studies show that office design can also affect productivity, efficiency, and creativity.

The Harvard Business Review shares results of performance data collected from sociometric badges and basic network analytics. The results indicate that face-to-face interactions are the most important activity in an office. As these unplanned or chance encounters occur, knowledge is shared between workers, which improves performance. The data also revealed that spaces could be designed specifically for an outcome: one space might be intended to boost productivity while another might be outfitted to drive innovation.

Other studies relate how lighting, plants, and personalized spaces have tremendous impact on overall performance. Northwestern’s study shares that natural lighting improves workplace performance while the Journal of Environmental Psychology reveals that dimmer lighting promotes creativity. Texas State University’s study suggests that plants around the office might improve employee happiness. And a British study reveals that employees who were able to customize their spaces increased productivity by 32 percent.

Award-winning teams of design and communication experts often say that while a creative and stylish space is important, businesses should not forget the crucial element of branding solutions that meet budgets. It’s good to follow design elements and principles that drive cognitive focus, creativity, and innovation. But as a small business owner, I need to do all of at an affordable cost.

I mean the slides, the treehouses, and the aquarium-like rooms for employee relaxation are definitely out.

But I might think about getting that DJ booth for the reception area; Friday cocktails for a few of my hardworking employees. It might not be as revolutionary as what other offices are doing to encourage further productivity from workers, but it’s a good place to start. And once I have enough funds going, there is the matter of completely redoing the office space to improve employee performance, to reflect my brand, and where I want my business to go.