This weeks blog post focuses on the return back to offices and how changes both small and large can impact on employee engagement, productivity and wellbeing revealing both tangible benefits for both employer and employees.
As the world starts to return back to normality and more businesses are starting to bring employees back to the offices - we explore how simple cost-effective changes can bring heaps of benefits for both the business and teams!
Let’s get started...
Take 30 seconds to close your eyes, relax and picture a place where you are the most happiest, relaxed and completely stress free. Where is your happiest place?
The Results...
This simple activity can be carried out on your team members and we can guess what the common answers will be:
The Great outdoors.
Countryside
Woodland or forests.
Seaside
As you will see the majority of responses focus on escaping to the countryside or rural environments. This gives us a sense of peace and time to focus and enjoyment.
The Problem: The Typical Office Environment.
Let’s take the typical office environment. We can guarantee that you have more than likely been in or experienced one of these environments (if you haven’t you are definitely one of the lucky ones!) :
Poor quality lighting that’s either too bright or dimly lit (now where did we put that torch!)
Little to no natural light or covered with vertical blinds.
Clinical walls or very dull ‘boring’ colours.
Carpet tiles that have been there for years on end that have seen better days perhaps ‘threadbare‘ but still ‘functions’ as a carpet.
Cramped conditions or pigeon holes.
The Issues and Impact:
Studies have shown that these environments have a direct impact on employee engagement and can affect a business‘s profitability and ultimately the bottom line. Employees start to feel less valued, engaged and ultimately start to look for alternative employment.
However simple cost effective changes can have a direct positive impact on the productivity and efficiency of an organisation some of which will be covered in this blog!
The Great News! Simple step chances create a great impact..
Bringing the Great Outdoors Inside...
We don’t mean you have to start bringing garden furniture into the office...
Lets start with colours of nature.
When you think of nature the classic colour that will crop up is ’Green’ or different shades of Green.
So before you paint the whole office green there are other colours that connect with nature including blues and yellows.
By injecting subtle colours into your office environment or creating a feature wall will bring new life into the office.
Studies have shown how different colours have impacts on productivity, wellbeing and engagement of employees and how they feel more valued and enjoy going to work as opposed to seeing it as a chore.
Colour Changes:
What colours would we recommend?
Different colours have different impacts and ultimately causes different results.
Blue Lagoon:
The colour Blue is ideal for creating alertness especially for businesses that operate during the night such as contact centres etc. Calming tones have been known to have an impact on efficiency and well-being. Blue helps people to focus on the tasks on hand without distractions.
Go for Green:
Green brings a sense of calmness, balance and soothing and helps with employee efficiency and doesn’t strain on the eyes.
Reviving Red:
Red is perfect for environments that require physical effort or movement and is designed to raise pulses, create energy and competitiveness.
Yellow without the Mellow:
Yellow is a colour that brings creativity and aims to boost confidence levels and positivity. This vibrant colour aims to encourage innovation and enable creative juices to start to flow.
Tantalising Textures...
Furnishings, walls and floor coverings can offer much more than just function and complying with health and safety aspects.
Texture creates interest, comfort and warm and transfers light around the room, which uplifts our sense of spirits and desires to be in a space for longer.
Textures help to reduce clock watching and ultimately helps to create a positive environment for everyone.
Let there be light...
We all know the importance of sunlight and our natural need to absorb vitamin D, which is essential for our optimal health.
Natural light brings us many benefits as it lifts our spirits and helps to banish those seasonal disorders especially during the winter months.
lighting has to be carefully selected depending on the task in hand as to much time under fluorescent lights can also have a negative impact through increases of migraines and eye strain.
Park-life...
Theres numerous ways to inject fun and bring the great outdoors into the office such as:
indoor planting
living green walls.
Playful seating to create the perfect breakout areas.
vertical timber slats - helps to divide task spaces or break out areas but still lets light through!
Employee Benefits:
- Employees feel valued, welcomed and enjoy coming to work!
- Work becomes a place of enjoyment and not a chore.
- Employees feel proud to work for the organisation and can assist in supporting the business to attract new clients.
- Employees feel more motivated.
Employer Benefits:
- Happier teams mean more valued teams with improved efficiency and productivity achieved.
- Improvements in KPI and ROI figures
- Increased engagement through less absenteeism.
- Reductions in staff turnover.
- Improvements in companies appearance and attracting more employees as the business grows and expands.
How we can help?
ICI Architecture Studio works with selected local and global suppliers to help create the ultimate office spaces of dreams!
We can help to plan the most efficient use of space to meet your business aims and objectives.
So you can say goodbye bore-some and Hello Awesome!
Want to learn more? Book a free initial consultation with no obligation!
Email: Team@iciarchitecture.co.uk
Call: 01260 602 005
