If you expect your employees to get work done during the day, you have to do your part to create an environment that allows them to do so.
Unfortunately, many business owners fail to realize how much a work environment plays into someone’s productivity. And when only 36% of workers in the United States are engaged in their work, you need to do everything possible to increase worker productivity.
If you want to get the most productivity from your team, you need an office design that promotes people getting work done. Avoid the three common workplace design mistakes below to create an efficient work environment.
1. Not Organizing Office Products
One thing many businesses fail to do when creating an office design is not designating a space for everything. They have office products lying around in rooms and have no real way of letting people know where to find them. This leads to confusion and people wasting time trying to find what they need.
You need a dedicated space to store your products. Designate as many rooms as necessary for office product storage. Put shelves and tables in those rooms and mark each storage unit as the space for specific products.
Doing this will ensure nobody wastes time trying to find what they need. Once you have this system set up, you must ensure your employees put things back where they belong after they’re done. Inform your team about the right home for office products.
2. Not Soundproofing Rooms
Noise is a significant issue in offices. People are going to spend a lot of time talking with colleagues and talking to customers.
While talking in the office isn’t an issue itself, it becomes one when you don’t properly soundproof your rooms. Sound travels easily through thin walls and can cause distractions for people who would normally be able to work fine.
If you have an issue with too much noise, look for ways to soundproof rooms and areas. There are materials you can use to reduce the amount of noise that makes its way into private spaces.
3. Avoiding Dedicated Spaces
With the workplace design trends of open office spaces, many business owners are following the trend of packing open areas with workstations right next to each other. In some respects, this type of design can promote productivity. However, it also leads to distractions.
Many workers get distracted easily and don’t work well in open spaces with distractions. If you want to improve workplace wellness culture, give people enough space in the office to have private areas they can use to concentrate.
It also pays to have designated office spaces for things like meetings and an office lounge area. Creating separate rooms for work functions allows people to compartmentalize and not worry about people interrupting them.
There Are Other Workplace Design Mistakes to Avoid
Your work environment plays a critical role in how well you can focus and work during the day. Unfortunately, some business owners don’t do enough to create an excellent workplace for their team.
The above workplace design mistakes are a great start to improving your workplace. Make sure you keep learning other workplace design ideas to make the most of the workspace you and your team have.
Head back to the blog to find more tips that will help you improve how your business runs.