Office furniture and other hacks to maximise workplace productivity
Several studies indicate that the most significant factor that determines an employee’s ability to focus on tasks is the physical environment. An office that has a good physical environment and is well designed can help improve worker productivity by at least 20% (Rees, n.d. ¹). However, in spite of these studies, businesses neglect such environment-related aspects. The negative effects of these decisions are immediately discernible in the way in which employees work on a daily basis. To avoid such issues, businesses should make use of a few hacks when it comes to office furniture and other workplace factors in order to streamline their offices and help increase productivity. The following points briefly explain some of these tips.
De-Clutter Office Desks
Studies such as research conducted at Princeton University, a report filed by Office Max, and others came to the same conclusion: when a working environment is cluttered, the resulting chaos restricts the ability of employees to focus. For example, a messy desk can limit workers’ thought processes, thus hampering productivity and motivation. Such employees are also less likely to persist with challenging tasks (Office Xpress, 2016 ²). Clutter on work desks may result from the piling up of unnecessary documents, files, folders, etc. Even in workshops, where activities such as cutting, grinding, sawing, etc. are conducted on workbenches, a cluttered environment can significantly hamper the work processes. The best way to reduce this clutter is by investing in good quality storage cabinets, preferably those that are equipped with separate drawers, shelves and compartments. The items causing clutter can be neatly stored in these cabinets and organised according to alphabetical order, work category or by any other criteria. As well as proper storage solutions, businesses should encourage staff to spend at least a few minutes before and after work hours ensuring that their workstations are kept clean and de-cluttered. This can contribute towards positive office productivity.
Let There Be Light
Lighting is a very important factor associated with workplace productivity. Good lighting can help employees stay focused and feel inspired to work. In contrast, bad lighting can cause fatigue, eyestrain, headaches, irritability and even depression. Hence, to counter such effects, businesses should put considerable emphasis on installing good lighting systems in offices (Rees, n.d. ¹). Businesses can invest in cool lighting types such as LED lights installed in ceilings. Business owners should also put more emphasis on using natural light as much as possible. Research suggests that exposure to natural lighting can lead to a release of the hormone ‘serotonin’, also referred to as the ‘happy hormone’, as it can boosts one’s mood when released and increase productivity levels (Office Xpress, 2016 ²). Regarding furniture, businesses can consider investing in dark-coloured work desks paired with office chairs in contrasting colours. The desks reflect minimal light, thus reducing any unnecessary glare that might irritate employees while working.
Break Room Banter
With changing workplace designs and overall workplace attitudes, many businesses encourage employees to take regular short breaks. Taking such breaks can help rejuvenate workers’ minds and improve their ability to focus on the tasks at hand (Fergusson, 2017 ³). To achieve this, businesses can design attractive and peace-inducing break rooms equipped with furniture such as bean bags, bar stools, canteen tables, etc.
Along with the office furniture hacks mentioned above, there are several other considerations that businesses can keep in mind such as introducing potted plants, improving aesthetics and décor, conducting periodical fun activities, etc. The methods described can help businesses to boost their employees’ mindsets, thus leading to good overall office productivity.
