Corporate interior design is essential in today’s world. Your office interior design has a profound impact on employee productivity and mood, and a good office design can help boost business productivity and morale whilst also creating a good impression for all visitors.

The way we work has changed dramatically since covid, hybrid working, agile working and flexible working have become more popular amongst companies, however, we know based off experience that a lot of businesses understand the importance of having employees back in the office, whether its 2 days a week or 5.

Encouraging employees back into the office can be a hard task, and the way a space is designed will really go a long way. Great office interior design can also contribute to your brand story. So, if you suspect your business is not quite performing as it could be, the solutions may lie in a redesign of your workplace.

We can help with that. In today’s post, we’re looking at how a well-designed space and placing investment into office interior design can make a difference to that ever-important employee happiness, wellbeing, efficiency, and productivity.

Why invest in your office interior design? 

Well, we know that having an inspiring workplace environment makes a notable difference but how does it rival other areas that you could be allocating that money to – training, management development or benefits, for example – all areas which have a reliable return on your investment?

You might be surprised to know that workplace interior design has a pretty strong argument. Some of the perks you can expect to enjoy include:

Employee retention 

Attracting the right talent for your business is hard enough. Why risk losing them once you’ve got them? Investing in good workplace design is investing in your staff.

A dingy, uncomfortable environment can seriously impact the general mood and that’s not sustainable for many people. In fact, there’s a direct correlation between the working environment and employee retention. 48% of people said that the design of their workplace was a significant factor in whether they stayed on at that company, and also reflected how appreciated they felt.

Keeping your staff happy therefore means less of your time is going to be wasted posting job advertisements, interviewing and training, and that will save you money too. You can be concentrating on building your business, knowing that your staff are happy in a pleasant space.

We’ve looked at the impact a well-designed workplace can have on talent attraction and retention further in this post if you’re interested!

Our client Firmenich decided to spruce up their office space, one of the main reasons being to attract and retain the best talent. 

Boost employee productivity, engagement and satisfaction

Alongside crucial employee retention, we know that a well-designed workspace has the power to seriously boost productivity. It can really be that simple! Multiple studies have drawn a correlation between employee engagement and efficiency, and the calibre and design of their workplace environment.

The office design can also offer a boost to productivity by streamlining processes or removing barriers to facilitate different working styles. If everyone has the ability to opt for their best way of working, it follows that they will be firing on all cylinders for more of the time and doing their best work. For example, an open plan office may be well-suited to teamwork and collaboration, whereas privacy and a well thought out approach to light or acoustics might be better for independent ‘head down’ work.

We got some great feedback from the Keepmoat team once we had finished their office refurbishment in Doncaster (pictured below), with a large majority of staff admitting that having a nice workplace will encourage them to come into work more often, due to the pleasant environment and dynamic space, offering them different zones to work in.

Enhance creativity and innovation!

Both creativity and innovation are crucial for business growth and competitiveness and surroundings have a huge impact on the creative thinking process. Well thought out and well-designed spaces encourage interaction and collaboration between employees.

Traditionally, offices don’t have workplace zones, you’re more likely to find an office area, kitchen, and a reception space. We are continuously seeing workplace changes, one of which is the rise in the office breakout space, or breakout zones! Check out our previous blog on breakout spaces. Breakout spaces encourage employees to take time out, or even communicate/ collaborate over a game of pool in some cases, take Appleyard Lees as an example (pictured below), these areas can foster a sense of community and creativity.

 

So, how can I improve my workplace environment?

Just in case you’ve not been paying attention, the bottom line is that creating a working environment that keeps your workers happy, engaged and efficient will save you money in the long run.

BUT here’s the caveat – workplace design only works when it’s genuinely in line with the organisation’s needs.

Design being design, trends do change so it’s important to ensure that whatever you’re doing with your interiors actually reflects your company ethos, and works for your employees. Workplace design isn’t just about thinking about employees though, you’ll see the benefit of visitor impressions too, a well designed workplace should be warm, welcoming and professional. 

With that in mind, here are some ideas for beginning the transformation:

Light – As we’ve explained in a previous post, natural light is so important for a workspace. Natural light promotes physical activity, better sleep, and improved quality of life. If it’s artificial lighting you’re after, you can make a change by switching to LEDs, which consume way less electricity and don’t create glare.

Furniture – This should be another top priority. Making sure employees are actually comfortable, supported and able to sit and work for long periods of time is fairly basic but there are some amazing options out there that really go the extra mile. Think ergonomic furniture such as height adjustable desks.

Breakout areas – Comfortable and entertaining breakout areas where employees can enjoy a bit of downtime are just as important as the work areas. Your team will need to relax and eat, and a good supply of free tea, coffee, and fresh fruit wouldn’t go amiss in the modern office, where it’s increasingly tricky to attract and hold on to good employees.

Plants – Add some finishing touches and inexpensive additions in the form of a little foliage here and there. Plants don’t require too much investment but can have a big impact on the feel of the space.

As you can see, there are a plethora of strong reasons to reinvent and upgrade your company’s office design, and it’s well worth the initial investment required to get it up to scratch.

If you need assistance from our team of pros, with their contacts and years of honed experience, just give us a call. We’d love to discuss the best way to invest in your workplace redesign or renovation.