How office design affects employee productivity

An employed person spends an average of eight hours a day in his workplace, seven days a week. The office or workplace is one of the places where a huge fraction of a person's time is spent.

It is believed that the general appearance and overall atmosphere of an office or workplace has an effect on the productivity and output of the workers or employees. For instance, a dull, gray office may dampen the moods and spirits of the employees, resulting in them becoming tired or getting bored as the day passes. The visual impact of an office also leaves an impression on visitors and job applicants. The same dull, gray office may put off a person who is applying for a job there.

Concerns regarding employee productivity and welfare are addressed in office design. Office design does not just include the aesthetics of the office; it also covers the functional and safety aspects. For instance, white fluorescent lights are almost always used in offices, because of the type of light they emit. Poor lighting in an office may result in a decrease in productivity, since the workers are inconvenienced.

Every workplace and office has documents and manuscripts; these things are one of those that contribute to office clutter. This is why storage is an important thing to consider in office design. A disorganized, cluttered office not only hinders the workflow, but it can also result in untoward incidents and accidents. Architectural and construction companies, for instance, produce a lot of drawings and plans on large pieces of paper. A blueprint storage cabinet may help in organizing their documents.

Offices need more than just enough storage; they also need the RIGHT kind of storage. Like the aforementioned blueprint storage box is appropriate for architectural plans and drawings, filing cabinets and shelves may work for regular-sized papers and documents. Utilizing the wrong kind of storage for an office may, again, affect the workflow, especially the foot traffic in the surrounding areas of the storage system.

The location of the storage in an office is also important. There usually are designated areas where the storage system is positioned. Taking an architectural firm again as an example, the blueprint storage should be in an area that is accessible to everybody in the office.

Related Office Design Articles