How Well-Designed Offices Affect Company Performance
The modern commercial office is no longer just about supporting a company’s operations. Studies show a correlation between employees’ happiness and their productivity and it is clear that the office space is one of the main tools for employers to support and elevate their employees’ well-being and, therefore, the company’s performance.
A workspace designed for employees’ well-being doesn’t mean foosball tables and expensive coffee machines (even though those don’t hurt). It means a space layout that takes into account the comfort and physical work settings of the company’s employees. Considering how the nuances of your company office affect your employees’ experience can help them stay more focused, creative, and better perform.
Read more:
- How To Optimize Your Office Space Planning?
- Office Space Planning for a Hybrid Workplace
- Employees’ New Needs Are Changing The Traditional Office
The Connection Between Design and Productivity
The connection between commercial office design and business performance has been the subject of many studies over the years. Various research, ranging from natural office lighting to the type of artwork hanging on the walls, shows that giving attention to details can actually boost employee productivity.
A study published by the World Green Building Council’s (WorldCBG) reported overwhelming evidence about the effects of design on employee performance. For instance, the study suggests that better indoor air quality can lead to productivity improvements of 8-11%. Thermal comfort, views of nature, lighting, and the interior layout all can significantly affect productivity and well-being.
Moreover, a survey published by Gallup Inc. found a direct correlation between employees’ well-being and a company’s profits. For example, employees who report better well-being have reduced health-related costs by over 40% to their employers, translating to thousands of dollars per person.
But the consideration of well-being is not just one-directional. More and more data shows that employees are prioritizing well-being and happiness in the workplace more than ever. 93% of workers in the tech industry said they would stay longer at a company that would offer healthier workspace benefits. 97% of employee respondents view the condition of their office as a symbol of their value to their employer. But maybe most importantly, an overwhelming 87% of workers are not happy with their current workspace conditions and would like their employers to improve them.
Using Design To Achieve Business Goals
If caring for your employee’s well-being in the physical workspace is no longer a nice-to-have, then well-designed office space planning can be a significant part of your business strategy. So, how do you connect these insights to your company goals? Here are some examples.
#1 Enhance Productivity
Maximizing employee productivity is one of the most important – and elusive – goals for every company. Employee productivity has a direct impact on the organizations’ profits and performance, but finding ways to boost it is not always easy.
So how can you use your office space planning to boost productivity? Many studies show that collaboration enhances employee productivity. Encouraging collaboration means more ideation, creative thinking, and stronger professional bonds. While companies of the past still support collaboration only in the form of structured meetings and conference calls, more innovative companies are investing in shared spaces that encourage spontaneous discussion, more devoid of hierarchy and seniority.
Creating an office layout plan that prioritizes shared meeting spaces and common areas and which supports socializing just as much as it supports operations can go a long way in changing the company climate and significantly boosting productivity.
#2 Improve Customer Experience
Your office design is a powerful tool to remind not only your employees but also your clients and partners of the vision of your company. The office is the business card of the company culture and designed meticulously, it can be used to emphasize and enhance its ideology, its goals, and the way it conducts business. And yes, it can also be used to impress and elevate the company’s brand.
The attributes of a client-facing office can, and should, change according to the type of customers and the engagement with them. If your company hosts customers often for pitches and presentations, an investment in a well-designed meeting room might be a priority. If your company hosts a lot of investors and potential investors, elements that represent the company’s values and culture – such as particular artworks, furnishing, or even writings on the wall – should be prioritized. If your company regularly hosts industry events, investing in great amenities can speak volumes about its brand and position in that industry.
As shown above, keeping in mind customer engagement when designing an office can lead to creative solutions that elevate your brand and your company.
#3 Strengthen Brand Identity
When employees can support and identify with their company’s brand and its values, they perform better and stay longer. However, some companies find it hard to communicate their values and ideology. An intentionally designed office space can be a great tool to exemplify brand identity and help employees connect to it.
Infusing brand identity in the office layout is really where things can get creative; take, for instance, the messages plastered on the walls of the Meta offices around the world, the most famous of them being “Move Fast and Break Things.” Or the Microsoft offices worldwide, known for incorporating and displaying elements from local cultures in their designs.
Office design is increasingly becoming a tool for communication and expression, pointed not only to the world but also to companies’ own employees.
Design as Wellness, Wellness Through Design
As established, office design as a strategy for cultivating workplace behavior is a great business investment. Yet, as more and more businesses learn in the last years, and particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an inevitable correlation between employee productivity and employee happiness. Many business owners still see “wellness” as a buzzword, representing yoga classes and green smoothies. However, it is time to demystify the word, and the concept behind it, to unlock greater productivity and success for employees and businesses alike.
The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) is the premier standard used today for commercial buildings seeking to create spaces that support inhabitants’ health and wellness. The WELL Building Standard refers to seven aspects of space performance: water, light, air, nourishment, comfort, and mind. Becoming ‘Well Certified’ means that your space is abiding by standards of each of these elements, which are proven to increase well-being, happiness, and as a result, productivity and performance.
qbiq: Design Your Space in Seconds
The importance of creating a space layout that fits your company’s needs cannot be overstated. Yet, some companies struggle with finding the time and resources to make that investment. With qbiq, you can generate layout plans for your space, customized to your company’s specific needs and optimized with AI-driven technology.
qbiq lets users preload their floorplans, enter their requirements and unique standards, and even key design elements to receive optimized office planning and layout, 3D virtual tour, and performance analysis of different layout alternatives so you can pick the best one. And the best part? No architectural knowledge or expertise is needed to use qbiq.
Want to hear more about what qbiq can do for your business? Request a demo
