Reflect Work Culture with Office Design

4 Ways to Reflect Work Culture with Office Design

To create a productive environment, you need to make your workplace more engaging and functional. Today, it is essential for workplaces to align their office design with their brand and culture as millennials are quickly replacing baby boomer employees.

Commercial office refurbishment can encourage cooperation within an office space and create a culture necessary for success. In a culture of cooperation, workers get the opportunity to interact and share ideas with one another as they look for solutions together.

While there are other methods of promoting productivity and efficiency, you can achieve it with a mere shuffle of the physical workplace. Many companies are unaware of the significance of revamping the office design according to the ideals of the business. By designing an office space not in sync with the company culture, a company is missing out on an opportunity to promote enthusiasm in the employees.

Here are some methods that you can suggest to an office design company when redesigning your workplace.

Introduce collaborative environments

Given the significance of engagement and interaction, your first priority should be to promote a collaborative environment in the workplace. Furthermore, companies are now focusing on diversity. If you have a working environment that supports collaboration and facilitates team work, you’re at the winning end.

The traditional cubicles are counterproductive as they end up isolating individuals who are functioning as teams. The modern method of designing an office space involves the creation of pods to encourage the division of teams.

You can assign clients to each pod as the manager responsible for looking after the pods can craft solutions around the needs of the clients. This allows the company to build a rapport, which is not possible with a dull office space. The culture of creating pods enables you to knit the office into an agile team that has the autonomy and the authority to take charge of the decision-making process.

You end up creating hindrances for your employees when you compartmentalise them in cubicles. Employees working in a group, however, can roll out support for one another and ensure the smooth functioning of the team. Your clients will feel the effect of compartmentalisation, which will be reflected in their communication and coordination.

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Brand your space

It is essential to create an atmosphere that is inviting for people walking into the office space. For this to happen, you must brand your office space. A commercial office refurbishment should give the clients and employees an indication of the values and norms of the company.

You should paint the walls of the office space in colour schemes that reflects the brand. Additionally, you should select objects and wall art that helps in cultivating the culture you want. Lastly, the design choices need to be consistent with the values you follow. For example, a tech company should look to incorporate technology in office design.

Before incorporating the brand values and purpose of the company in the office design, you should consider the overall layout. Inform the office design company about the themes you want to pursue and look for ways that you can implement them.

If your company is a democratic one and encourages employee participation, then you should foster the idea of having easy to access office spaces for the higher-ups.

Similarly, a workplace that creates video game rooms and shared spaces indicates that the company thrives on creativity. Sometimes, companies end up following the latest trends when designing their office spaces. It is easy to fall into the trap of doing so, as companies end up wasting time and resources in creating an office space contrary to the ideals they have set for themselves.

A law firm for example does not need a video game room, as it does not match the nature of work done by the company. You also don’t need to follow what other companies are doing, it is essential to stay true to yourself when designing the office space according to the ideals of the business.

Ask your employees for suggestions

If your company encourages worker participation and values the opinions of the employees, then asking them for design is a good strategy of getting ideas for renovations.

Employees can come up with creative solutions and advice. Encouraging participation and seeking advice from employees over something as basic as designing an office allows you to build the motivation levels of the employees. You can create an email or setup a meeting after work hours or during break to discuss the strategy.

It is the management’s responsibility to filter the responses and follow an idea that seems manageable. While the exercise will help you in getting some sound suggestions, you don’t need to forget that the main purpose is to interact with the employees and make them friendly. A little friendly chit chat regarding the design of the office will make them feel at home and welcomed at the workplace.

Their ideas will make the job a lot easier as you will develop features and design the area according to their needs and demands. Set up a meeting or email them a survey and find out about the ways they want to shape their office spaces. The more inclusive the office environment is, the better the results you will get.

Work culture and office design

Image: Unsplash

Create a different atmosphere

When redesigning office spaces, you need to start with the basics. Getting rid of phone little things, such as noises in the background, can go a long way in changing the atmosphere and increasing productivity.

Few factors affect the productivity of the workspace. You need to identify these factors and work towards eliminating them from the office environment. Factors such as cleanliness, weather, and sound affect productivity at the office. Ensure that the new office design creates an atmosphere that removes all the hindrances to productivity, while promoting productivity and encouraging positivity.

The dropping performances of distracted employees indicate the need for redesigning the office environment. Cutting the clutter will not only improve productivity, but it will also make the work more enjoyable for the employees.

Happy employees are a great driving force behind the success of a company. Changing the office environment and redesigning it help a company motivate its workforce. The restructuring will help you keep the employees engaged while also ensuring that they are satisfied with your efforts.

Additionally, redesigning the workplace according to the values of your brand gives the company a sense of identity. It encourages teamwork and a sense of competition in the workforce.

In Summary

The 4 points above are methods that can help you reshape the office design according ton the culture of the company. By reshaping the look of the office you can create a sense of identity amongst the employees motivating them to perform for the company.

Moreover, the space will reflect the brand value and vision of the company to the visiting customers and clients. The modern customer is empowered enough to be aware of the significance of brand value and image. Therefore it is imperative to follow the standards, and align the office design according to the image of the company.

About the Author

Bryony Shaw is the marketing executive at Spectrum Interior, a leading office interior design company offering office fit out and office refurbishment service in UK. Her aim in life is to transform as many interior environments as possible into highly beautiful and functional spaces and make all incumbent dysfunctional eyesores a thing of the past. Synchronising the marketing, sales, purchasing and project management teams, she likes to listen to the needs concerning absolutely any interior.