Your office’s appearance is far from merely window dressing – either literally or metaphorically. ITProPortal reports that a well-designed office can boost employee satisfaction and in turn, employee productivity. It could even make a vital difference in your recruitment efforts.
Meanwhile, working practices have become more flexible; in the UK, the right to request flexible working has even been enshrined in law. This has led to modern office designs capitalizing on…
The stripped-down approach
Have you heard of “defurbishment” or “defurb”? It refers to an aesthetic of leaving various structures’ “bare bones” exposed, with beams and brick or stone walls now more noticeable.
Undercover Recruiter hails the ability of such natural elements as wood and slate to “encourage a natural, eco-friendlier feel” in workplaces, and water features can have the same effect. Meanwhile, the use of reclaimed or upcycled materials can emphasize a firm’s environmental credentials.
Mental and physical wellbeing at the centre
Naturally, businesses are keen to keep “sick days” at bay. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that in the modern age, office designs have been tweaked to enhance employees’ wellbeing and as a result, their resistance to ill health of both the physical and mental kind.
To this end, ergonomic office furniture has been introduced, including ergonomic chairs that keep users upright and ergonomic keyboards that push up typing speeds.
Mixing both work and leisure
As more and more Millennials have entered the workforce, office spaces blurring the usual boundaries between work and relaxation have become more popular.
Office designers have lifted physical and ergonomic restraints to leave spaces so agile and dynamic that workers might not always be able to tell when they are meant to be mainly working or relaxing.
One case in point: that of re-arranged furniture. When comfortable and organic, furniture can leave workers with minimal restrictions and so help them to work more productively.
Human-centric designs
What is a “human-centric design”? It reads like a very technical term, but it can simply refer to a design taking account of relatively humanistic, holistic and problem-solving needs.
This is not to say that crafting a human-centric design isn’t challenging. On the contrary, it can prove tricky when aesthetics are incorporated alongside amenities that help workers to meet their needs.
Ultimately, the concept of the “human-centric design” strikes out at the theory that one size can fit any business. Thankfully, these days, you don’t have to struggle to find various useful amenities already provided in an office to rent.
Taking advantage of portable peripherals
Ann Marie Ginn, Logitech EMEA’s Head of Video Collaboration, has recalled a financial sector customer replacing “all desktop PCs with tablets on their customer service floor, so that their consultants could better interact with customers when talking about loan or mortgage applications.”
This is an example of how the rising prominence and viability of portable peripherals have considerably driven office design trends. If you will be deploying tablets, however, you should carefully consider what types of cases and keyboards – like integrated keyboards – should be used with them.
