Office design can potentially make or break the success of your business.
Get it wrong and you could destroy your team’s motivation, morale, productivity and creativity. You could prevent them from collaborating effectively, limit their ability to achieve their full potential in the office and leave them feeling utterly miserable.
Ineffective office design could even trigger headaches, eye strain, migraines, backache, repetitive strain injuries and absences from work so it’s important to get it right.
Read on to discover the most common office design mistakes and how you can avoid making them.
1. Not paying heed to light
Getting your office lighting wrong can damage productivity and even harm the health of your employees.
Too dark and it can be much harder for your team to see what they’re working on, can impact on motivation levels and even trigger migraines. Too bright and you’ll only create a harsh and unwelcoming office space that limits employee creativity and again, can cause eye strain and headaches.
Allow a blend of natural and artificial lighting to create a comfortable and welcoming space and allow staff to focus on the projects that count.
2. Neglecting acoustics
If your office design forgets to consider the acoustics of the space, you could harm your team’s productivity, efficiency, creativity and comfort.
If the space is too noisy, it will be harder to concentrate and produce work to the highest standard. If the space is too quiet, your colleagues will find it harder to talk to each other, collaborate, and form a sense of community within the office.
The right choice of design materials and soft furnishings can dampen sounds and help create a cosier environment that also promotes the optimal working practice.
3. Forgetting to include both private and communal space
Open plan offices were widely used over the last few decades and considered by many start-ups to be a great way to reduce stress levels and encourage collaboration.
However, office design has swung the other way over recent years as studies have shown that this style of office could actually have the opposite effect.
That’s why it’s so important to provide a blend of both private and communal spaces to allow your team to be creative, to collaborate and to achieve their full potential in the office.
4. Copying other people’s office designs
There’s no such thing as a one-size fits all approach to office design.
Just because you recently visited an office and were blown away by their modern, on-trend design, that doesn’t mean you should go ahead and copy it. It might not fit your company’s needs and culture and could even end up harming your team’s creativity and productivity.
Instead, ask a design professional to help you to expertly shape these ideas into a solution that matches your company needs.
5. Not providing personalisation opportunities
Far too many people consider overall office design yet don’t provide an opportunity to allow employees to personalise their workspace.
Although this might seem like a tiny detail, letting staff add their own touches to their working space can help them stay creative, motivated and happy. And as we all know, a happy team means a happy business!
6. Forgetting to add style and personality
There’s nothing worse than boring decor and boring furniture that are functional but uninspiring.
Forget blank walls and neutral colours and allow your design to express company values by using colour and creative decoration.
7. Overlooking storage space
Although we’re living in a digital age, you still need ample storage space in your offices.
Without it, your workspace can end up cluttered, chaotic and unprofessional. Lack of storage also adds unnecessary stress and makes it harder for your employees to maintain a high level of productivity.
Use filing cabinets, cupboards, shelving and other space to balance design with functionality.
8. Trying to DIY office design
A huge mistake that people make when designing their office space is trying to do it all themselves. Without the necessary experience and skill, they can unwittingly make mistakes which can cause further problems in the future.
Allowing a professional designer to help can add that personal touch, maximise space, boost branding and help improve overall office design potential.
If you’re considering an office redesign, it’s always best to turn to professionals such as ourselves for help. We can help you maximise light, provide optimal working opportunities for your employees, balance light and sound, offer excellent storage solutions and add exactly the right blend of personality and branding.
Contact us now to discuss your office design project.