How does office design impact your company culture?

The culture of your office space is affected by many things, from traditions + values, to how your staff interact with one another. One thing overlooked by many is how much of an impact workplace design can have on office culture.

Culture. What does it mean to you when it comes to your office space?

Research from Deloitte has shown that employee happiness + satisfaction are linked to strong workplace culture, which in turn is hugely impacted by environment. So, should you currently have a commercial office fit-out that may be slightly lacklustre, one facet you might want to think about is your office design and how it can improve in the future.

Here are our top four things to think about when assessing your office fit-out and it’s impact on your overall company culture:

Take a Break

Breakout spaces play a large part in keeping people engaged. Not for one minute am I suggesting you want your employees to be constantly taking breaks from necessary work, but small breaks are proven to keep team members clear minded + focused, and also encourages positive cross-team interactions. Breakout spaces are also often used for unofficial or impromptu meetings – encouraging increased collaboration + creativity amongst team members.

Productivity

Productivity is a key aspect when considering the values of a company + your office space should be designed with this in mind. One way to do this is to consider your workplace flow and office layout, for example, items that are needed on a regular basis being placed where they are most easily accessible (for example, the team that works the most with hard copy documents close to the printer and the filing systems)

Positivity

As well is productive, it’s also important your employees are positive – you want everyone to be happy, right? Office furniture can play a role within this. For example, standing desks help to keep staff focused and engaged. 15 minutes of movement an hour is ideal, but even 30-60 minutes a day working at a standing desk can help benefit health in many ways. A healthy employee is a happy employee!

Another aspect to consider is colour. Let’s be honest, nobody likes a drab looking office space; and picking out colours (that may reflect your brand and your logo) are often a choice that is made when one is considering their office refurbishment.

Staff retention

This is an issue that companies may struggle with. Working within an engaging + positive environment naturally makes staff much more likely to stay within their role, because of the culture you have designed.

Conclusion? With it still being relatively early in the new year, it could be a fantastic time to review your company culture + how your current office environment impacts it.