As years keep rolling, workplace demands keep evolving, and you must adjust accordingly, lest events overtake you. Perhaps you’re experiencing a higher-than-average turnover in your workforce, and you’re wondering what the problem might be. If not, your staff may pester you with complaints regarding the workplace setup and environment. As a visionary team leader, altering your workplace design should be top on your bucket list. Below are some crucial design considerations to consider for the coming year.
1. Hybridize Your Workplace
The reality is that more and more current generation workers are increasingly entertained working remotely. They don’t want to feel tied to a stagnant workstation day in and day out. It’d help to conform to these new demands if you’re going to keep your talented team members.
Start by transforming your current office into a hybrid one to accommodate both the in-office and remote workers. In this regard, you don’t have to seclude a cubicle for all team members, considering they may not always be around.
Transform the private spaces into open ones that several workers can share. This move also helps reduce the space requirements, saving you some bucks if you’re renting your business premises.
Next, make arrangements for your remote workforce. Remember, working remotely doesn’t necessarily mean staying at home all day. The current trend is hiring flexible workspaces where team members from different firms meet. Interacting with like-minded entrepreneurs is a plus, given the wealth of information and ideas you gain. Aside from that, working away from the office offers change, which is as good as rest; your staff will always feel rejuvenated, resulting in increased productivity.
2. Pull Down The Walls
Initially, companies championed private workspaces for their staff, supposing it fosters focus and productivity. However, they realize the need for seamless collaboration and teamwork. And the way to this is by dismantling the barriers, those opaque partitions you might have in your office.
Pull down the walls and have everyone seated in an open-plan space. This workplace design strategy enhances quick idea-sharing, as everyone can see and talk to one another in real-time without getting up and walking into a colleague’s office. Alternatively, replace opaque partitions with transparent glass to allow colleagues to see one another throughout their shifts in the office.
3. Improve The Amenities
Humans are social beings, so in-person office setups won’t run extinct anytime soon despite the technological advancements that threaten to elevate remote work beyond physical in-office work. Thus, your staff will always come to the office, even if not all. Your best move, in this case, is to make the office as comfortable as possible. And that’s through office amenities.
Start by having a fully equipped kitchen. Food is a central component of a typical workday; your staff can’t go for a long time without desiring something to bite or drink. So, install a kitchen at the office to avoid the scenario where they have to drive to the nearest coffee shop now and then. In the end, you save a lot of time while keeping their minds fresh throughout the day.
Apart from the kitchen, you may want to have a gym. Mark you, this isn’t an exaggeration. Workplaces significantly contribute to chronic back pain and other illnesses like heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression due to sitting for prolonged hours without engaging in physical activity. A gym at the workplace will help your staff keep fit during breaks. You may also want to invest in standing desks and desk bikes to exercise while working and lose weight.
4. Infuse Nature
Nature is known to bring a calming effect. That’s why hordes of people flock to beaches and magnificently-landscaped resorts to catch a breather after toiling at the office. Bringing nature indoors is an excellent approach to enhancing your staff’s experience. With green plants and water fountains spread strategically across the workplace, they’ll feel more relaxed as they do their work. Nature minimizes the tendencies of burnout and depression.
So, seek the help of a reliable interior designer to help you incorporate plants and fountains into your office. Besides, you may want to expand your windows to let in more fresh air and natural sunlight.
Conclusion
The coming year has a lot of demands for business managers regarding office management. The tastes and preferences of the current workforce are dynamic, and styling up is essential. Sticking to the same old routine may see you losing valuable team members. To avoid that, craft a feasible plan to redesign your office to cater to prevailing trends. The four recommendations above are just the tip of the iceberg; you should feel free to explore more tips. The whole idea is to enhance the experience of your workforce to improve productivity and keep them for as long as possible.