Stressed out? Consider redesigning your office.
Office environments are full of stress—tight deadlines, many different personalities, and mountains of work to be done. However, good office design can greatly reduce stress simply by moving around a few key structures and adding some stress-reducing elements.
Create Community
When most people think of offices, they think of rows of cubicles for individual workers. However, that is not the right office design to maximize productivity and minimize stress. Create an office environment that encourages collaboration and fellowship amongst your employees by making common spaces where people can congregate. Create natural pathways to encourage interaction and conversation. It can be as simple as shifting the office coffeepot to a new location or as intensive as rearranging all of the cubicles on your floor to get the perfect office design for your company.
Add a Dose of Motivation
If you’re working on a tight budget, you may think that your office design is destined to stay exactly how it is. Don’t worry—there are plenty of ways to reduce stress for less. Employees need motivation and to keep their eyes on the true goal of your company. It can be easy to lose the point when focused on replying to emails, answering phone calls, and going through the motions of office work. Think about your organization’s slogan or motto. Do you have any motivational quotes that other workers seem to like? Ask your colleagues what inspires them and consider designing motivational posters as a group to inspire and work on team building. Add in posters, pictures, and imagery that can inspire your employees for a low-cost way to reduce stress, increase motivation, and improve your office design.
Choose Where You Work
Another way to change your office design and encourage collaboration amongst your employees is to provide multiple work areas for them to choose from. Keep the cubicles for those that thrive in that office design but consider adding in standing desks, an area with couches, and scattered clusters of tables and chairs. You can also consider transitioning to an open office layout, a trendy and common office design that can work well in small spaces and encourage teamwork amongst employees. A change in scenery can completely change the feel of your office and help keep employees motivated, focused, and productive while reducing stress.
Trust Us With Your Office Design
Glover Furniture and Design Group is a woman-owned and operated business that serves the Delmarva region with educational, institutional, and commercial furniture and design services. For information on how we can optimize your office design, give us a call at 1-800-966-9016 or contact us online. To see examples of our work and stay in touch, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.