How to Design a Workspace that Improves Productivity

Every day businesses everywhere are looking for ways for their employees to be more productive, but how do you know what actually improves productivity? 

Keep reading to uncover tips on how how to design a workspace to improve productivity. You might be surprised at how simple, yet effective these tips can be. 

Opportunities for Movement Improves Productivity

The best way to stay focused during a long day is for employees to acknowledge when they hit a productivity wall. When this happens, the best thing to do is for workers to take lots of quick breaks to refresh their perspective 

There have been multiple studies that show breaking up work with a mental rest period will improve productivity. Also, small bursts of movements throughout the day can improve your health and lower your stress levels. 

Which is why you might want to add stand-to-sit desks. These encourage employees to change positions and move around throughout the day. 

You can also add other opportunities around the office to encourage movement throughout the workday. Such as putting the copy machine or phone of the opposite side of the room, or having a water cooler that’s center giving employees a reason to stand and move around. 

Productivity isn’t directly connected to the time one spends on a task, you want to make sure your employees are refueling with movement whenever possible.  

Buy a Plant

Sometimes an unexpected change can boost productivity. Such as keeping a small plant in the office, which will make space feel more alive. 

You might not think that houseplants are an effective way to create a productive workspace, but there are studies that back-up that their impact works.

There was actually a 2014 study that found plants in a UK office boosted productivity by fifteen percent. These plants also increased workplace satisfaction as employees felt better about their work.

For some inspiration on what type of plants to get and where to put them in your office, check out this homepage. 

Give Gadgets a Home

Tablets, smartphones, and other gadgets can help employees stay organized and efficient, but can also lead to a ton of wasted time.

There have been studies that show smartphones hurt productivity, and that the average office worker will spend about five hours a week doing unrelated things on their phones at work. That’s more than half of a workday! 

You can prevent this from happening by finding a home for all these gadgets and leaving them there. Keep gadgets in a dedicated place while employees work, so they won’t be tempted to be distracted by notifications. 

You can simply clean out a drawer and use that space to store gadgets so they are out of sight during the workday. 

Do a Daily Clean

Some say that a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind, but clean desks do keep employees more productive. Try to encourage the office to take a few moments each day to tidy up their workspace. 

Workers should throw out anything that isn’t needed and organize anything they want to keep. This way there’s no clutter or distractions. It’s more likely that a messy workspace will create problems and no new ideas. 

Office employees spend about 38 hours which is about an entire workweek, looking for lost items every year. Employees should also keep a to-do list to stay focused on what needs to be done each day, and at the end of the day write out what needs to be done tomorrow. 

Personalize the Workppace in Moderation

When employees personalize their workspace, there is more of an emotional connection to their work. But at the same time, you want to make sure that employees get rid of any clutter which can distract from their productivity. 

It’s all about the right balance of limiting personal items to only ones that are useful and meaningful. Perhaps encourage employees to choose personal items that inspire employees to be productive like a framed photo of their family.

Natural Is Best

There was a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine that found employees who work near windows get 46 more minutes of sleep at night than those who don’t get to see daylight at work. And those extra 46 minutes of sleep makes a more well-rested employee who is ready to be productive. 

If you can find ways to add more natural light into the office, or even switching up florescent blubs to ones that give off more natural light. If there is no light in the office, employees should try to get out of the office on their lunch breaks to get so much needed natural light and fresh air.

Add Some Color

The color and paint in the office can also affect employees productivity and mindset. Blues and greens have been proven to improve performance on tasks that need new ideas. While the color red has been shown to improve performance on tasks that need detail.

You can add this color with area rugs, throw pillows, art, or simply painting an accent wall. A bland office is sure to make your employees feel bland, bored and lethargic. 

Put Your Ears to Work

If your office space is crowded, productivity can be increased with earbuds. Research has shown that listening to music can encourage creativity and efficiency.

When workers need to do deep thinking like writing, reading or analyzing long documents, narrative compositions like film scores, sonatas, white noise or even jazz can really help with focus and productivity. 

For energy like e-mailing tons of clients, it’s found that rap can really be motivating. 

Update Your Office Today 

Now that you know how to design your workspace in a way that improves productivity, make these changes today. A simple pop of color or pop in earbuds can really help your employees be more productive at work. Make some of these changes, and or encourage your employees to make these upgrades on their own. 

For more resources on improving your office and or business, keep browsing our blog.