As employees continue to make the move back to the office in the wake of remote working, a well-designed office which is comfortable and inspires employees is more important than ever right now.

How to Improve an Office Space – Expert Tips

As employees continue to make the move back to the office in the wake of remote working, a well-designed office which is comfortable and inspires employees is more important than ever right now.

Numerous studies have found strong links between the office and employees’ productivity and mood, which is why it’s essential to ensure that the people who spend multiple days a week in their workplace enjoy the space.

Now that people have the option to work from home, an increasing number of business owners and office managers are having to consider what they can do to incentivise employees to spend time in their workplace – and that’s why this article is here to guide you on how to improve your office space.

Assessing your Current Office Space

The first step in improving your office is assessing what’s currently in place.

This can involve a range of tasks, such as looking at the more practical side of things like the plumbing and electrics, as well as assessing your use of space and the different areas within your office.

It may be a good idea to draw up the list of the strengths and weaknesses in terms of your office, and asking your employees to contribute to this can help massively, as they are the ones who spend the most time there.

From this list, you will be able to identify the elements of your office that need some work, and that’s the best place to start when it comes to improving your workplace.

The areas that might need work, for example, could include your office’s overall layout, the lighting, or even hygiene and cleanliness.

Now that you know the areas that require improvement, it’s time to put a strategy or plan in place to turn these things around.

From taking out carpets and replacing it with new flooring to putting in a new lighting system, there will likely be a few big changes to make. However, it’s important to ensure that the new elements you’re adding to your office fully adhere to your current office design – or your new one, if you’re doing a full overhaul – and your brand identity. This way, nothing will stand out or look out of place.

Design and Layout Tips

Open VS Private Spaces

An important thing to consider with the layout of your office is whether you want it to be modern and open plan, with work stations dotted across the room, or whether you want private spaces and separate rooms for different purposes.

Generally, offices tend to have a mix of both, offering open and communal spaces and quieter, separate rooms for more focussed or private work. This is especially the case with companies who often need to have private meetings in separate and soundproof rooms.

This is an important aspect to keep in mind when it comes to planning the layout of your office.

Furniture and Ergonomics

Next up, furniture and ergonomics are a significant factor in both employees’ and clients’ experience of your office.

No one likes sitting in an uncomfortable office chair, especially for the duration of an 8-hour workday, and this can even cause health issues for employees down the line.

This is why it’s essential to balance the aesthetic and the feel and comfort levels of your furniture – as there’s no point in having chic furniture in your office if no one wants to use it.

Using Space Efficiently

Another thing to keep in mind when planning the layout of your office is how you’re going to utilise the space you have.

For example, if you have a small office space, it might be a good idea to use multi-purpose areas and flexible or modular workstations, so that you can shuffle around the areas in your workspace to suit a particular situation – such as setting it up for collaborative working or a meeting, for instance.

Environmental Enhancements

Incorporating Greenery

Many offices right now are opting for a biophilic design, which refers to the idea of bringing the outside in when it comes to interior design.

A lot of the time, this means incorporating greenery around the office, whether that’s putting plants on workstations and reception areas or having live feature walls, depending on your budget and design plans.

Incorporating greenery is well known to have a significant effect on employees’ productivity and has been linked with an increase in inspiration, motivation and creativity.

These are just some of the reasons as to why bringing the outside in might be a good idea when it comes to improving your office space.

Improving Air Quality

Inside air quality – especially in buildings like offices, schools and other public areas – is becoming a big topic of conversation.

From a health and safety perspective, the air quality in an office should be equal to – but ideally better than – the air quality outside.

There are many ways to improve the air quality in your office, to in turn improve employees’ overall health and safety while they’re at work. These include adding in plants which purify the air and remove toxins, using humidifiers or dehumidifiers to ensure optimal conditions, and cleaning air vents, as well as opening windows to allow fresh air in.

Doing some or even all of the above ensures your employees can breathe in clean air, reducing the chances of any health complications or difficulties for allergy sufferers.

Colour Schemes and Decor

Another important thing to note when improving your office space is that people will respond to different colours and decor styles.

For example, your employees might find a green wall boosts their creativity – as some studies have proven – while blue walls might provide a more calming effect.

All of this is worth keeping in mind when you’re redecorating your office – and it’s a good idea to ask your employees for their input in these decisions, too.

Technology Integration

Technology integration is a big part of improving office spaces right now, and this is an important thing to consider depending on your budget and priorities.

This could involve anything from meeting room booking solutions, smart parking systems, smart lockers and more.

There are also smart technology options when it comes to lighting and electricity, such as motion-activated lighting and electricity that’s designed to shut off at a certain time when everyone has left the office and clocked off for the day.

While these things may involve a bigger upfront payment, it’s important to remember that they are designed to help save effort, money and energy in the long run, so integrating some form of smart technology into your office could certainly prove worth it long-term.

Also, smart technology integrations in the office can improve employee productivity. This is because, the less time people spend on operating and managing office systems that could otherwise be automated, the more time they’ll be able to spend on their work.

Smart technology integrations can even include something as simple as a smart desk, for example, which is not only known to improve employee health and wellbeing, but is also linked with overall productivity and satisfaction at work.

So, if you’re looking to improve your office, it may be worth considering smart technology integrations to make everyones’ lives easier and boost productivity.

Improving your Office – A Summary

We’ve had a look at some of the top expert tips for improving your office.

From the first step of assessing your current space to improving the environment of your office and integrating smart technology, there are lots of different ways you can add to and upgrade your workplace, based on your budget and overall priorities.

It’s always a good idea to assess and keep on top of your office and your employees’ needs, to ensure that they enjoy going to work as much as possible, and that they feel inspired and productive when they’re there.