3 Reasons Your Office Design Matters

You spend one-third of your life at work, which is enough of a reason to have your work environment be as comfortable, intuitive, and well-designed as possible. But there are more reasons for this than just the sheer number of hours you give to your job each and every day.

You spend one-third of your life at work, which is enough of a reason to have your work environment be as comfortable, intuitive, and well-designed as possible. But there are more reasons for this than just the sheer number of hours you give to your job each and every day.Here are 6 reasons your office design matters to your employees, your company, and you. 1. It changes employee work flow.Research from Cornell suggests that most knowledge workers prefer closed offices for concentration but prefer open offices for communication and trust building. Why not have the best of both worlds?You can create the feeling and overall look of an open office while having certain designated areas where employees can focus and detach from the bustling work environment. Having both spaces allows your workers to choose whichever work environment is best for them or is best for the task they currently need to complete.Create a warm, inviting reception area with a lot of open space, break up your workspaces with different contemporary seating options and occasional tables, and use acoustic furniture to block out the noise in your more closed-off office sections. 2. Employees need collaboration.Your office environment needs to facilitate collaboration among employees. More collaboration leads to more creativity, which leads to higher overall productivity.You can’t just want your employees to come together and bounce ideas off one another—you need to use your office design to lead them in the right direction. Use a high-backed lounge with a media console to facilitate small and informal, but productive, meetings, or install break-out chairs and tables in deliberate parts of the office to give employees a place to gather away from their desks.Collaboration furniture can take your traditional workspace, boardroom, or face-to-face meeting to a new, innovative level. 3. Your office showcases your company values.Does your company strive to be environmentally conscious? You can build a LEED-certified office to show how committed you are to being green. Does your business support the local community? Buy and showcase local art on your office walls. Do you strongly support working mothers and fathers? Implement kid-friendly areas throughout your workspace.How you design your office reflects what your business stands for—and stands up for.