The modern workspace is very different than what the earlier workspaces used to be. Work space design is fundamentally important because it will affect the entire space that is around it. When the work space is designed it has to be designed in such a way that brings out the best in the employees.
The temperature, lighting, open space design, a space to hang out as a community of likeminded people affects the work quality and productivity, even a single factor can affect whether the employee likes working there or not.
A good work space design leads to more productivity and a less stressful environment. An organization must consider having a work friendly atmosphere so that their employees are happy. An average employee spends about 1/3 of their time in an office.
Elements of a good workspace design
Light and Comfort: are two fundamentals for a modern workspace today. Many employees face issues of glare and lack of light around their work area. The ergonomics need to be designed in a way that is user-friendly. Plants can often lighten and brighten up office spaces, keeping appropriate eye level space between the desktop and the person sitting.
Colors: The psychology of color plays a major role in the appearance of the modern workspace. Bright colours have a better atmosphere and make the office vibe more lively and friendly. The colour blue is a calming colour whereas green helps to remove eye fatigue. Using colors which complement the space and the furniture provides the actual feel of the office and inspiration to design the modern workspace.
Block the noise: Places which have too much traffic noise or any kind of construction noises affects the mood of the office. It hampers productivity because you are busy trying to filter out all the sounds. You need to identify a quieter place to build a better workspace design or smartly design the overall space, which will help with the proper functioning of the organization.
Hybrid work culture: An organization must embrace the change of the post pandemic work culture which includes the hybrid culture of open space design and employees preferring to work from home. Employers asking the employees to return to office for at least 3 times a week has also changed how the workspace is designed. Many employees have acclimatized to working from home in a large-scale space.
Fauna in the space: Having plants in a large office space adds to the color and also brings a lot of positivity and oxygen to the space. It also helps to remove the stress of the office. It makes the entire space happier and joyful. Plants can contribute to up to 32% of workspace productivity.
Layout for design: Ideal design layout would be an open space design for open communication and easy networking amongst teams. This fosters a sense of teamwork; with few doors and more doorways it opens up a bigger sense of teamwork. This helps to make major decisions and boots team group discussions. Standing desks are making a major movement into the space now, many offices are encouraging standing desks to help with the back and legs, attending the client calls help with the overall appearance of confidence and makes the body language appear strong and bold. Most offices are designed now keeping in mind the modern workspace and newly improved office cultures.
Bold Graphics: Quirky messages and quotes with an inspirational wall are essential to help with the overall look and feel. Open space designs usually have a lot of wall space which can be utilized to put a good pop of color to. It should be at a view where it is visible to all the employees on the team. This helps them to motivate and inspire them and helps them to understand the goals and healthy mindset for the team.
Technology: Make offices paperless is the main goal nowadays. A lot of modern workspaces are working together creating a system which works to broadcast all tasks on the screen. Don’t allow your employees to eat at the desk at all, it leaves crumbs and trails of dirt. Ideal desk setup is using two screens where one can be used for scheduling and checking emails and the other for tasks.
Community Spaces: Having a good kitchen area or pantry is important because everyone needs a break. Most of this can be designed easily when you have an open space design. Employees gather there to have a quick discussion, network and also discuss sometimes about group activities. This fosters the space for providing community spaces within the organization. Giving the people in the company a designated space helps to keep the waste out of the main work area.
Overall, modern workspace is something that is very personal to a person, we need our own space for our time and to work. If space is cluttered then there will be no functioning and process to the work. A work space design which is loved by an employee will cultivate good and productive work for the organization. The requirement of community spaces has opened up a lot too. Most offices now emphasis for the requirement of community spaces. A company that provides that kind of requirement for the overall space helps with the efficient growth of the organization. An employee must feel the connection and willingness to come to work when they see their work space and that should be up to the organization to design the space. Many organizations have taken the initiative to design open space design which is comfortable for the team members and realized that happy employees mean happy business.